Game of Numbers: Washington Capitals Edition

The Game of Numbers is an exclusive THW series looking at upcoming milestones around the NHL. Each team will be looked at individually in three parts – individual player milestones, franchise player milestones, and players that rank in the top 100 in NHL history in any major statistical category.

Founded in 1974, the Washington Capitals have yet to win a Stanley Cup. While they – as a franchise – haven’t been able to reach the ultimate goal (yet), the team does hold eight division championships, one conference championship and a Presidents’ Trophy.

While the team’s made numerous improvements over the past few seasons, that Cup still remains just a talking point at this point. But with players like Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom leading the charge, a strong postseason push shouldn’t be just a topic of conversation. It should be a yearly possibility.

While the team success hasn’t always been there, the individual success is another story. From individual marks to franchise milestones, here’s a look at all the numbers for the Washington Capitals.

Washington Capitals Individual Milestones

The Capitals roster is full of veteran presence – up front and on the blue line. From Ovi to Orpik, some of these players have been around for quite some time. While their career numbers might not exemplify their all-around success in the league, their individual marks do show how impactful they’ve been over their careers from a numbers standpoint.

Games Played:

  • 900 games played: Jason Chimera (869)
  • 800 games played: Brooks Orpik (781), Alex Ovechkin (760)
  • 700 games played: Brooks Laich (683)
  • 600 games played: Nicklas Backstrom (577), Matt Niskanen (573)
  • 400 games played: John Carlson (398)
  • 300 games played: Jay Beagle (254)
  • 200 games played: Braden Holtby (178)
  • 100 games played: Evgeny Kuznetsov (97), Justin Peters (80), Michael Latta (70), Nate Schmidt (68), Andre Burakovsky (53)
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals, NHL, Milestones
Alex Ovechkin sits among the best all-time in a Capitals jersey. (Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Goals:

  • 500 goals: Alex Ovechkin (475)
  • 100 goals: Marcus Johansson (61)

Assists:

  • 200 assists: Jason Chimera (186), Brooks Laich (185), Matt Niskanen (159)
  • 100 assists: Karl Alzner (71)

Points:

  • 900 points: Alex Ovechkin (895)
  • 600 points: Nicklas Backstrom (572)
  • 200 points: Matt Niskanen (198), John Carlson (189), Marcus Johansson (186), Brooks Orpik (151)
  • 100 points: Karl Alzner (83)

Washington Capitals Franchise Milestones

Over the years, Washington’s played host to some pretty incredible players. Peter Bondra. Kevin Hatcher. Adam Oates. All of them have left an impression on the Capitals organization. Their numbers remain among the top in franchise history and it’s the players of today’s game that find themselves chasing these milestones on a yearly basis.

Games Played:

  • Alex Ovechkin (760) needs 66 games played to pass Michal Pivonka (825) for 5th on the team’s all-time list.
  • Brooks Laich (682) needs 4 games played to pass Kevin Hatcher (685) for 10th on the team’s all-time list.
  • Nicklas Backstrom (577) needs 12 games played to pass Mike Ridley (588) for 18th on the team’s all-time list.
  • Braden Holtby (178) needs 92 games played to pass Don Beaupre (269) for 2nd on the team’s all-time goalie list.

Goals:

  • Nicklas Backstrom (145) needs 2 goals to pass Steve Konowalchuk (146) for 14th on the team’s all-time list.
  • Brooks Laich (132) needs 3 goals to pass Robert Gould (134) for 18th on the team’s all-time list.

Assists:

  • Alex Ovechkin (420) needs 8 assists to pass Nicklas Backstrom (427) for 1st on the team’s all-time list.

Points:

  • Nicklas Backstrom (572) needs 28 points to pass Michal Pivonka (599) for 4th on the team’s all-time list.

Powerplay Goals:

  • Nicklas Backstrom (47) needs 3 powerplay goals to pass Dmitri Khristich and Bengt-Ake Gustafsson (49) for 15th on the team’s all-time list.
  • Brooks Laich (42) needs 5 powerplay goals to pass Scott Stevens (46) for 18th on the team’s all-time list.
Brooks Laich, Washington Capitals, NHL, Milestones
Brooks Laich is one of the longest serving Capitals on the current roster. (James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports)

Game-Winning Goals:

  • Brooks Laich (23) needs 1 game-winning goal to pass Steve Konowalchuk (23) for 11th on the team’s all-time list.
  • Nicklas Backstrom (20) needs 2 game-winning goals to pass Dave Christian (21) for 15th on the team’s all-time list.

Wins:

  • Braden Holtby (101) needs 28 wins to pass Don Beaupre (128) for 2nd on the team’s all-time list.

Shutouts:

  • Braden Holtby (20) needs 16 shutouts to pass Olaf Kolzig (35) for 1st on the team’s all-time list.

‘Top 100’ Milestones

One of the game’s best players, Ovechkin has six 50-goal seasons a just 29 years old. He averages well-over a point per game during his 10 seasons in the NHL and continues to be the go-to player on the Capitals top line – helping him into the top 100 in some of the NHL’s all-time statistical categories.

  • Ovechkin (475) needs 1 goal to pass Bernie Nicholls (475) for 50th on the NHL’s all-time list.
  • Ovechkin (176) needs 2 powerplay goals to pass Jarome Iginla (177) for 27th on the NHL’s all-time list.
  • Ovechkin (80) needs 1 game-winning goal to pass Patrik Elias (80) for 25th on the NHL’s all-time list.

More from the ‘Game of Numbers’ series:

Eastern Conference:
BOS | BUF | CAR | CLB | DET | FLA | MTL | NJD | NYI | NYR | OTT | PHI | PIT | TBL | TOR | WSH

Western Conference:
ANA | ARZ | CAL | CHI | COL | DAL | EDM | LAK | MIN | NSH | SJS | STL | VAN | WPG

NOTE: The ‘Game of Numbers’ series is subject to updates as the 2014-15 season progresses. Individual marks will only appear if the player is within 50 of the specific statistical milestone, while franchise marks only recognize the top 20 in club history.

For more, follow Andrew on Twitter at @AndrewGForbes or his THW column at @Tape2TapeTHW.