The Caps are on a roll. They’ve won three in a row, eight of their last 10, and as things stand before the start of play on Sunday, they sit in first place in the league’s toughest division. What a difference a month can make.
There’s reasons to think this success can continue (hello Kuznetsov-Vrana combo and #TopLineTom). But, as Peter recently pointed out, there’s some concerning things going on with this team.
I’m not nearly as confident as I once was that this team will be one of the top teams in the league at the end of the season. But things have come together for this team recently. I think this team is clearly playoff-worthy, but given the current playoff format and the strength of the Metro, it’s not a lock. Not yet.
Three things I’m highly interested in keeping an eye on as this season continues:
The more yeses to those three questions, the better of this team is going to be.
Let’s take a deeper dive into the numbers to see where things stand for the first place Washington Capitals.
Player | GP | TOI | SA% | Rel SA% | GF% | PDO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Burakovsky | 15 | 179 | 54.2 | +6.4 | 39.6 | 96.8 |
Vrana | 33 | 411 | 54.0 | +7.5 | 60.2 | 101.6 |
Backstrom | 33 | 470 | 53.2 | +6.8 | 70.9 | 106.3 |
Wilson | 30 | 393 | 51.3 | +5.9 | 59.4 | 104.3 |
Oshie | 28 | 391 | 50.2 | +5.9 | 64.1 | 99.6 |
Ovechkin | 34 | 485 | 49.4 | +1.4 | 62.9 | 104.6 |
Eller | 33 | 385 | 48.7 | +0.1 | 40.1 | 98.3 |
Kuznetsov | 34 | 485 | 46.8 | -2.3 | 56.4 | 102.9 |
Chiasson | 33 | 310 | 45.3 | -4.0 | 42.7 | 100.4 |
Stephenson | 24 | 274 | 44.7 | -4.3 | 59.0 | 104.5 |
Smith-Pelly | 34 | 385 | 44.3 | -5.4 | 43.4 | 98.9 |
Connolly | 25 | 238 | 43.5 | -6.8 | 28.8 | 97.7 |
Beagle | 34 | 324 | 39.9 | -10.4 | 42.0 | 100.8 |
Player | GP | TOI | SA% | Rel SA% | GF% | PDO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Djoos | 25 | 318 | 53.4 | +6.5 | 59.3 | 103.2 |
Orlov | 34 | 643 | 51.5 | +4.9 | 53.5 | 100.6 |
Niskanen | 21 | 382 | 51.1 | +2.7 | 65.2 | 106.8 |
Carlson | 34 | 622 | 49.8 | +2.3 | 49.1 | 100.4 |
Orpik | 34 | 600 | 44.4 | -6.4 | 44.0 | 100.6 |
Bowey | 28 | 372 | 44.1 | -5.9 | 39.1 | 98.4 |
Chorney | 20 | 222 | 43.2 | -6.5 | 68.3 | 107.2 |
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Headline image: Patrick McDermott
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