JUNKIES: Bruce Boudreau has all the love for Coach Carbs and Ovi's hot start

The Capitals are 17-6-2, atop the Metropolitan Division, and tied for the most points in the Eastern Conference entering play Friday – and the moxie of their current head coach certainly has the eye of a previous one.

"I don't think anybody knows how good anybody is gonna be until they do the job, but I've known Spencer a long time – he was an assistant coach in Carolina when I was the coach of the Caps, so we'd bring them up for training camp, and you knew he was sharp and well-equipped," Bruce Boudreau told the Junkies Friday. "He does his research and due diligence, he puts the work in, so we knew he was going to be a good coach and he is; he has been in Hershey and Providence, and as an assistant in Toronto."

Boudreau told the guys he'd definitely take the phone call if a team came calling for his services (like, say, the Blackhawks), but for now, the Caps are in good hands.

"When he lived in Hershey, we golfed together a lot, and nothing made me think that he wasn't going to be a good coach," Boudreau said. "I applaud him and the way he's brought this team together, and hopefully he can continue."

Boudreau had one of Carbs' guys back now 12 years ago when he was on the bench in DC, and of course, we're talking about the ageless Alex Ovechkin – who, even after last year's down season, is still surprising his old coach with his blazing start to this year before his injury.

"Anybody who says they're not completely surprised is probably lying. I had a good feeling that he was going to do a lot better than he than the start of last year, because I think he was more committed this year – and let's not forget once things started going and he was in good shape by the middle of the season, he went on a tear the last half of last year," Boudreau said. "I was hoping that he would do really good and he did; he's come out and he's the old Alex. He's been flying, his shot has been accurate and really good, and he's been derailed for about four weeks maybe, but I think he'll be right back there and, and continue and taken off from where he left off."

Only 25 games in, and a handful without Ovi, the Caps are one of the highest-scoring teams in the league and up near the top in points – but can we consider them a true Cup contender?

"I think they're playing as good as any team in the league. They're four lines deep, and I think the acquisitions have really helped make them better," Boudreau said. "Do I think they can continue scoring four goals a game? I don't know, that's pretty tough to do, so they'll come down, but if they do, I think what keeps them going is they still play good defensively; they still know how to lock up the games, and when they've got a lead in the third period, they're very difficult to catch. I always say that they're a contender and don't sleep on them; this is a team that will come up and bite you because they have depth, goals can come from anywhere, their defense has improved, and they have two good goalies. There's nothing that says that this shouldn't happen, and a lot of people I talked to down there say it's a special group; there's gonna be maybe a rough spot or two during the course of the season, but I've got them pegged in as a top three team in the Metro."

Take a listen to Boudreau's entire visit above, as he goes into the current goalie platoon, tells an old story about Ovi and curfew, and more!