The Washington Capitals are one of the biggest surprises in the NHL. Through 28 games, they are 20-6-2, first in the Metropolitan Division and second in the NHL. With an aging captain and an older core of players, no one expected them to be a Stanley Cup contender or lead their division. The story of the Capitals is the offseason additions and the younger players are stepping up to maintain consistent offense with key players out on injured reserve. Additionally, the special teams have stepped up to provide more offense when last season it was a weak spot.
These Sticks Are on Fire
Leading the goalscoring for the Capitals are Alexander Ovechkin (15), Connor McMichael (15) and Tom Wilson (11). Ovechkin’s offensive resurgence is a big reason why the Capitals started off the season hot, winning 13 of their first 18 games. However, the Washington captain went down with an injury in a game against the Utah Hockey Club. McMichael is stepping up in Ovechkin’s absence. He’s scored 15 goals, leaving him three shy of his career high of 18 last season in 80 games. The combination of his shot and Pierre-Luc Dubois’ hardnose playmaking ability on the second line are key to the Capitals’ consistent offense without their franchise goal scorer. What’s contributed to his increase in production is more ice time now being on the first power play unit.
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Wilson is putting together a solid campaign after a lackluster performance last season. The Capitals haven’t lost in regulation in eight games going 7-0-1 in that stretch. Wilson has five goals in those eight games, two of which being multi-goal games. This season the Capitals have scored 111 goals, which is the second most in the NHL, and lead the league in goals for per game at 3.96.
Third Year Breakouts
As each year passes it looks like Dylan Strome is finding a home in Washington. After posting back-to-back 65-plus point seasons, his strong start to the 2024-25 season has him poised to break his single-season career high points of 67. Playing on the top line he has 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists) and 12 points with the man advantage. Strome is becoming what he was drafted to be, a reliable top-line center who can dish out passes for his teammates to bury.
Dylan Strome has assisted on all 10 of Alex Ovechkin’s goals this season. A new wingman for Ovi 🤝
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 10, 2024
(via @Ethan_Cadeaux, @molfully) pic.twitter.com/ZtenXyga2U
Another player in his third year with the team is Rasmus Sandin who looks to have found his stride with the Capitals on the second defensive pairing. Sandin is a plus-19 this season with 13 points (four goals, nine assists) where he’s cleaned up his play compared to the previous two seasons where he was a combined minus-20. Sandin is a guy that the Capitals want on the ice as he holds a 3.17 expected goals for, according to MoneyPuck. The 2018 first-round pick isn’t afraid to put his body on the line either as he has 44 blocks and 31 hits this season.
Revival of the Special Teams
The Capitals’ power play is significantly better than it was last season. Through 28 games in the 2023-24 season, Washington’s power play percentage was 9.8% and ranked second to last in the NHL. This season, it is 20.9% which is ranked 17th in the NHL. The addition of Dubois, a breakout year from McMichael and Ovechkin back to his old self has been a recipe for success for Washington’s special teams. Not only has their power play gotten better, but the Capitals’ penalty kill is the fourth best in the league with an 83.5% success rate while last season through the same amount of games was 81.5%.
The Backbone of the Caps
The backbone of any hockey team is its goaltender. The Capitals have split that duty between Logan Thompson (14 games) and Charlie Lindgren (14 games). While offensive production is crucial, having a reliable presence between the pipes is essential for a winning hockey team, and that is what Thompson has been so far this season. He is 11-1-2 this season with a .913 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.48 goals-against average (GAA). More importantly, the Washington netminder has registered nine quality starts this season. This means that he has allowed fewer goals than expected. Lindgren is struggling to keep the puck out of the net, but the Capitals’ revitalized offense has bailed him out of games to secure wins. However, Lindgren has heated up in his last two games where he’s registered a .963 SV% and a 0.98 GAA.
CAPS TODAY: Charlie Lindgren & Logan Thompson have each earned three wins during Washington’s active seven-game point streak (11/25-12/7: 6-0-1). Lindgren (8-5-0) & Thompson (11-1-2) have combined for 19 wins, which is tied for the second most in the NHL: https://t.co/EwA0dwZwZb pic.twitter.com/LkPTqFjNMt
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) December 11, 2024
No one expected the Capitals to emerge as real contenders this season after a swift first-round exit last season. Fans and reporters may speculate if they can keep their current pace, but the Capitals are winning games without their big names such as Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie. Once their tenured stars return to the lineup, it will be an added boost to the already deep lineup the Capitals have.
