The Washington Capitals have collected standings points in three consecutive games since returning from their West Coast road trip, but their most encouraging numbers came elsewhere on the scoresheet. Washington has recorded 12 goals, with four each coming against the Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks.
That increased offense felt especially promising to a team that has had trouble getting pucks in the net. Though only time will tell if the newfound pace will stick, the Capitals’ recent performance suggests they could be closer to solving their scoring woes.
Even though they’re stacking wins, the Caps’ offense has remained an issue. While they allow the tenth-fewest goals goals in the NHL (2.84 goals per game,) the Capitals’ average of 2.48 goals scored per game ranks third-last after the San Jose Sharks and Blackhawks. They rank bottom-10 in scoring chances, high-danger scoring chances, and expected goals for at five-on-five–even after their high-offense week.
But despite the previous lack of scoring and weak underlying numbers, the Caps managed to rack up goals in their last three games, including a combined eight against the top-10 New York Rangers and Dallas Stars.
Dylan Strome commented on the uptick in goals after the 4-2 win against Chicago Sunday night.
“Obviously, we were struggling to score for quite a while at the beginning of the season,” he said. “That’s three games in a row with four or more, right? So hopefully we start to turn the corner and find a way to score and produce.
“Power play had some good looks and some good chances. So we’ve just got to keep building on it. And it’s fun to score goals and it’s fun to win.”
Those goals paid off in the standings, with the Caps recording five out of six points in the three contests. They currently hold a record of 10-0-2 when scoring three or more goals, compared to 4-8-1 when scoring two or fewer.
All four lines have gotten in on the increased offense. Only four of the twelve goals came from the top line, with just as many scored by the fourth line. Eight total players have scored over the three-game span. The lines have remained relatively stable as well, only changing to add TJ Oshie and Sonny Milano back into the lineup.
For head coach Spencer Carbery, that stability proved a key factor in the team’s growing offense.
“What we’re doing offensively, we’re starting to gain more confidence,” he said after the Chicago game. “And different guys are scoring, different lines. They’re starting to generate chemistry. And that’s partly a product of this: if you remember the beginning of the year, our lines changed every single night.
“So now we’re starting to get into a little bit of a rhythm of four lines that are playing together that are starting to learn each other’s characteristics, chemistry, starting to build. Nick Dowd’s line is chipping in, Stromer’s, and that’s helping a lot.”
The Capitals aren’t out of the offensive woods yet. Though they managed to score more at five-on-five, the power play scored just once in nine opportunities and holds a league-worst 8.2 conversion percentage. Meanwhile, Ovechkin has now tied his longest-ever goalless drought at 10 games.
And with the team’s actual goal total more than doubling their 5.94 expected in the last three games, the week-long sample could prove a flash in the pan. The barrage of goals has not come from getting more good looks–their scoring chances and shots per game remain relatively constant at five-on-five–but instead came from a sky-high shooting percentage of 16.67% in the three-game stretch.
While more of their shots are going in the net, the team’s rate of shot attempts at five-on-five remains fourth-last in the league. If they can bolster their recent success with more scoring opportunities going forward, the Caps have a better chance of sustaining their newfound pace even when their luck eventually regresses.
Carbery admitted the team still needed to improve, noting, “there’s still a lot left there for us to really cash in on.” Still, the recent goal-scoring swing offers a welcome reprieve for the team after two months of offensive woes. Now they have to figure out how to keep it up.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
