So in response, we thought it was a good time to take a closer look at the oft-overlooked leader of the oft-ignored Southeast Division.

	The competition
	Caps' record vs.
	New Jersey	2-1-0
	Ottawa	1-1-1
	Philadelphia	2-1-1
	Toronto	2-0-0
	Buffalo	1-0-1
	Pittsburgh	0-2-0

The Caps enjoy a seven-point lead in the Southeast over Carolina. Only Ottawa (70), New Jersey (70) and Philly (66) have more points in the East. Toronto is even with Washington at 64, while Buffalo and Pittsburgh nip at their heels with 62 points.

So, as it has been pointed out, the logical follow-up question is how the Capitals fare against the competition. And the results are encouraging. Against Toronto, Ottawa, Philly and New Jersey, the Caps are a collective 7-3-2. Washington is 1-0-1 vs. Buffalo, and the one losing record against a team in their immediate neighborhood is Pittsburgh, a team Washington is 0-2-0 against.

Before the Rodney Dangerfield tag is ripped off like a painful wax job, consider that the Caps' No. 3 scorer is a defenseman, and after Bondra (58 points) and Adam Oates (51), the next most prolific forward, Ulf Dahlen, has 32 points in 51 games.

Frozen Ponderings

Isles goalie and 2000 No. 1 pick Rick DiPietro is 0-5-0 with the Islanders. But he hasn't played poorly. His 2.67 GAA and .908 save percentage are respectable. But the Islanders haven't done anything offensively when DiPietro is in net, scoring just five goals in the five games and never scoring more than two in any of them. Confidence is important with a young goalie, and coach Butch Goring needs to find a way to get some support for DiPietro. The Rangers win two of three games and all of a sudden, New Yorkers clamor for the playoffs. Beyond the simple fact that Florida and Columbus are marginal teams, no one should get too excited. The Blueshirts are eight points behind the No. 8 spot with 25 to play. Without dissecting every game, look at the top and bottom of what lies ahead. The Rangers play Tampa Bay twice, Florida twice, the Isles three times and Atlanta once. As is the cliché, the Rangers need to beat the teams they're supposed to beat to even have a chance. If that possibility isn't difficult enough -- the Rangers have lost to teams like Atlanta and Tampa Bay -- take a look up top where the Rangers face Ottawa and Philly twice, Pittsburgh three times, as well as New Jersey and Detroit once. The Canadiens and Avs play each other Tuesday night. Based on the Canadiens' AHL affiliate in Quebec and Colorado's franchise history, doesn't it make sense that the two teams play a preseason game in Quebec? "It's a great idea," admitted Canadiens president Pierre Boivin. "But Colorado is going to Sweden next year, and a lot of it depends on cost and whether Colorado wants to do it."

By comparison, the Devils have seven forwards with more points than Dahlen. The Maple Leafs, Senators, Penguins and Flyers all have five forwards with more points than Washington's No. 3 guy.

Of course, critics counter with Kolzig and his impressive play -- tough to debate 2.38 GAA and .913 save percentage. But is Kolzig that much better than Martin Brodeur or Curtis Joseph?

The answer is no, and therein begins the rationale for placing several teams ahead of Washington in the playoff pecking order. the Capitals win with good defense, goaltending and timely scoring. But their defense isn't necessarily better than other elite teams, and their depth is worse.

The best news of late is that, along with their impressive home record of 16-4-6-1, the Capitals are finally winning some games on the road. Despite a 11-15-3-0 road record, the Caps enter Tuesday's game in Calgary riding a three-game winning streak that included the confidence-boosting 3-1 victory over Colorado last Wednesday.

In the final analysis, the Caps might not be getting some deserved respect, and some numbers back up that contention. However, by no means has Washington made a super-strong case to be considered at the very top of the East.

Mailbag
During the season, I'll try to answer a question or two from ESPN.com users for every edition of In the Corners. If you want to get a question answered, click here and ask away.

Question from Adam Felcyn, Grantsburg, Ill.: Why are the Blues still not considered to be as good as the Avavlanche?

Response: In terms of regular-season accomplishments, the Blues are right there with the Avs -- and last season, they were better than Colorado. But the perception that the Avs are better comes from two clear-cut advantages: playoff success and goaltending. Although Colorado hasn't made it back to the finals since winning the Cup in 1996, they still benefit from that run. Couple that with the fact that St. Louis lost in the first round last season, and the Blues resemble a team with a lot to prove to gain consideration among Colorado, Detroit and Dallas. The 82-game season is important, but reputations are made in the playoffs.

Critics of Roman Turek have been a bit harsh. His numbers the last season and a half are outstanding -- 2.08 GAA, .909 save percentage. However, Turek has never won a playoff series and hasn't consistently shown the ability to steal a game for his team. The lustre of Patrick Roy's playoff invincibility has dulled somewhat in recent years, but his three Stanley Cups and 121 playoff wins tower over Turek's three postseason victories and mortal 2.75 GAA.

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com.