1. Alex Ovechkin (1) - His 10 game point streak came to an end in Columbus, but there’s still no one more valuable to the team than the Russian Machine.

2. Jose Theodore (6) - He’s won his last two starts including an impressive shutout over his former team, the Montreal Canadiens last Friday.  There should be no doubt now that he’s the #1 goaltender on this team.

3. Tomas Fleischmann (4) - He saw his four game point streak end in Columbus, but he’s the team’s #2 offensive weapon with Semin still on the shelf.

4. Brooks Laich (3) - The heart and soul of this team.  Even if he’s not contributing on the scoreboard, he does all the little things that make the difference between a win and a loss.  Perhaps he’s the team’s future captain when Clark moves on?

5. Nicklas Backstrom (2) - Only 1 assist in his last three games.  But he had 17 points in 15 games during the month of November so there should be no need to worry.

6. Karl Alzner (NR) - All Karl has done in his short time in Washington is earn Boudreau’s trust to the point where he is now the team’s #1 d-man.  Even when all the injured players return to the lineup, he is here to stay.

7. Eric Fehr (8) - I love the energy this kid brings to the game.  And he doesn’t hesitate to shoot the puck, which we all know is something this team needs to do more of.  I’d like to see what he could do on the top line with Ovie and Backstrom, but for right now he seems to have found a niche on a line with Fleischmann and Nylander.

8. Sami Lepisto (NR) - After Alzner left the game in Columbus with an injury, Lepisto led all d-men in ice-time with 23:30.  He’s the closest thing the Caps have to Mike Green while at the same time is holding his own on the defensive side as well.  He’s making it hard for the team to send him back to Hershey.

9. Dave Steckel (10) - Provided the knockout punch in the game against Montreal and perhaps was the lone bright in the game against Columbus.  Playing in front of his home crowd, he won over 70% of his faceoffs while also getting a couple of the best scoring chances of the night.  If his offensive game continues to improve he could be the team’s #3 center for years to come.

10. Michael Nylander (12) - Has filled in admirably as the team’s #2 center and has the makings of a good offensive line as he centers Fleischmann and Fehr.  While the Caps would love to have the cap space he would provide if he was to move on, he has proven that he can be a contributing member of this team.  But when Fedorov returns, what’s his role?

11. Viktor Kozlov (5) - Had a nice breakaway goal against Atlanta, but as is the problem with him, he pretty much disappeared in the next two games.  Needs to be a more consistent contributor if he wants to keep his spot on the top line.

12. Milan Jurcina (14) - He’s shooting the puck more with Green out of the lineup.  Like Kozlov, the frustrating part of his game is his inconsistency.

13. Tyler Sloan (11) - A steadying presence on the backline.  His days in the AHL seem to be over for now.

14. Matt Bradley (9) - Not a particularly great week for Brads.  He does have three goals so far this season, and the team would like to see more of that after choosing to keep him over Cooke in the offseason.

15. Chris Bourque (NR) - A bundle of energy that plays like he belongs in the NHL.  He even filled in on the backline after Alzner’s injury in Columbus.  He was assigned to Hershey on Sunday, but the team will most likely have to recall somebody before the game against the Panthers and Bourque should be that someone.

16. Bryan Helmer (NR) - Knows how to play the system and does what is asked of him.  Morrisonn should take some notes.

17. Brent Johnson (13) - Gave up three goals against the Blue Jackets and took the loss, but he didn’t really get much help from a team that looked really tired in front of him.  The fact is, Theodore is playing too well right now not to play him, so Johnny must wait for his next opportunity.

18. Donald Brashear (15) - Needs to provide more of a spark for this team when he’s on the ice.  He did have some scoring chances in games against the Thrashers and Blue Jackets.

19. Shaone Morrisonn (16) - Continues to struggle, and a 36 year-old journeyman defenseman outplayed him this week.  What does that say about his status with the team?

Players left off due to injuries: Semin, Fedorov, Green, Gordon, Erskine, Schultz, Clark.

All the power rankings out there rank the teams in order of performance. I thought it would be a good idea to put together a list of the best Capitals players based on their performance. This is how I see them right now: (excluding players out with injuries)

1. Alex Ovechkin

• With Semin out of the lineup, Ovie is once again the unquestioned offensive leader.

2. Nicklas Backstrom

• Nick has 5 goals in the last 7 games, all on the road.  He is finally performing up to the standard he set last season

3. Brooks Laich

• Blocking two shots against the Kings without a stick, then playing defense in the third period against the Wild because of injuries to Schultz and Erskine.  Laich is the ultimate team player.

4. Tomas Fleischmann

• Four goals in the last six games give Tomas a total of eight on the season, only two less than he had all of last season.  He’s quickly becoming a threat offensively.

5. Viktor Kozlov

• An injury to Semin put Kozlov back on the top line.  In response he had a four game point streak going which ended in San Jose.

6. Jose Theodore

• Continues to play well when called upon.  He just doesn’t get much help from the defensive group.

7. Tom Poti

• With the injury to Green and now a long term injury to Schultz, Poti is now the unquestioned #1 d-man on the team.  He has three goals already this season which is more than the two he had all of last season.

8. Eric Fehr

• With all the injuries he is finally getting a chance to get some ice-time.  He was arguably the best Caps forward last night, sparking the team’s rally from a four goal deficit and recording two assists on the night.

9. Matt Bradley

• Two goals in the last four games, the Caps love any offensive contribution Brads gives them in addition to his gritty play.

10. Dave Steckel

• With the Caps needing a faceoff win with only 9.6 seconds remaining against the Wild, Boudreau turned to Steckel.  He’s 23rd in the NHL with a 53.5 winning percentage in faceoffs.

11. Tyler Sloan

• His ice-time has increased, somewhat due to necessity, but also due to his improved play.  He has adjusted to the NHL level and should remain with the Caps for the rest of the season.

12. Michael Nylander

• Despite all the trade talk, Nyls is still here.  And because of the injury to Fedorov, he’s now the 2nd line center.

13. Brent Johnson

• Johnson got rocked in San Jose, but that wasn’t his fault.  The defense was non-existent.

14. Milan Jurcina

• Seems to be shooting the puck more with 5 shots in the last four games.  He has only 19 shots all season.

15. Donald Brashear

• Had a big win over Jody Shelley in San Jose, but other than that he hasn’t been heard from much.

16. Shaone Morrisonn

• Easily the biggest disappointment of the season so far is the play of Morrisonn.  He was supposed to be part of the team’s top two pairing with Green as he was for most of last season.  However, his poor play makes his spot on this team in jeopardy.  With Karl Alzner and Sami Lepisto waiting in the wings, Morrisonn could be moved by the deadline to make room for the youngsters.

Players left off due to injury: Semin, Green, Fedorov, Schultz, Gordon, Clark, and Erskine.