Interesting that the Caps now have the largest lead of any of the NHL division leaders, especially considering that out West, the closest pursuers have games in hand on the Division leaders, whereas that is not true in the Metropolitan.
The Caps certainly don't feel like a clearly superior or dominant team. I don't think that, at this point, anyone considers them to be any kind of favorite (or even a top contender at this point) for the Stanley Cup. Maybe that suggests that there is no dominant team right now, and the playoffs will be a total crapshoot, unless some team emerges in the next couple of months. Of course, Boston's recent experience demonstrates that "dominant team" is a mirage in the NHL under any circumstances.