The Washington Capitals seem to have gotten back on track after over a month of limited success. After a stretch of just two wins in nine games, the team has emerged victorious in three straight. While these wins have not necessarily been “pretty”, an ugly, chaotic win is still a win and gets them much-needed points in the extremely tight Metropolitan Division. Where has the recent success come from?
Unexpected Players are Stepping Up
The Capitals would not have won their past three games without the help of a few names that might not be heard as often. Nic Dowd, Declan Chisholm, and Hendrix Lapierre are a handful of unexpected players who have contributed to the team’s wins.
Related: How Can the Washington Capitals Contend for Playoffs?
Dowd, a long-time fourth-liner, has contributed two goals, an assist, and a shootout winner to the streak. He has just four goals on the season, meaning half of them have come in the last week. His goal against the New York Islanders was the insurance marker and the third unanswered for the Capitals. He is often sent to take a faceoff with a reliable level of success; he has won nearly 50% of his battles at the dot this season.
Chisholm, a defenseman, has had limited playing time this season. However, with Matt Roy and Rasmus Sandin’s recent absences , he’s had the chance to step into the lineup. He scored his first goal of the season in this winning stretch, helping his team rally to a 4-3 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings.
Young forward Lapierre also tallied a goal in the recent game against the Carolina Hurricanes, just his second of the season. Until recently, however, he had a goal-drought dating back to 2024. Should he be able to keep some momentum going with his offense, he could continue to help the team secure critical points toward a playoff run.
Clay Stevenson Shows NHL Readiness
When the Capitals lost not just one, but both of their goaltenders, fans felt as if any hope of getting wins was lost. With both Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren out with injuries, who would step in? Enter Clay Stevenson, called up from the Hershey Bears.
He is in his fourth season with the Bears and has played 24 games, earning an 11-8-4 record and a .912 save percentage (SV%). He was solid at the American Hockey League level, but would he be able to perform against tough NHL opponents? The short answer: absolutely.
Stevenson notched his first NHL win against the Hurricanes, where he made 19 saves and helped the team rally in overtime. He started again against the Islanders, making 29 saves and bringing his season SV% to .923. When the Capitals lose their preferred goaltenders, it is good to know that they have a reliable backup who may even be ready to join the NHL shortly.
Skaters Are Healthy
Besides their goaltending tandem, the Capitals are a (mostly) healthy team again. Connor McMichael was placed on injured reserve (on Jan. 31, but otherwise, the team is whole. That is a huge relief, as they struggled without Sandin and Roy as well as a laundry list of other injured players rotating in and out of the lineup.
When they’re healthy and whole, they really click. Though the team’s lines see shakeups in many games, the chemistry is there in nearly any combination. Despite the team’s recent slump, playoff contention is not out of the question. Nearly everyone (barring Olympians Tom Wilson, Thompson, and Martin Fehervary) will have a long break to rest, recover, and reset for the final stretch of the season and the real playoff push.
They now sit in third place in the Eastern Conference wild-card race, but could usurp the Islanders with just a handful of points and be back in a Metropolitan playoff spot. It will likely come down to the final few games of the season — as is standard for the conference — but if the team can keep pushing and keep having the success they’ve had on their current streak, they will make their way to the postseason yet again.
They are hopeful for a win tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers and on Thursday against the Nashville Predators before heading into the break.
