Snapshots of the Week Ahead: Week 8

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports The Washington Capitals enter Week 8 at the top of the East Division. However, it is an uneasy perch. Only five points separate the top five teams in a division in which only four teams get a postseason berth. Week 8 is a critical juncture in the schedule for the Caps, who will play their closest pursuers, the Boston Bruins, twice and the fourth-place Philadelphia Flyers to close the week.

The Opponents

Boston Bruins (Wednesday and Friday/7:00pm)

Boston is one of those teams for which it is hard to find a true fault. In the East Division they rank third of eight teams in scoring offense (3.00 goals per game), second in scoring defense (2.63 goals allowed per game),…