Capitals could set NHL record as team with worst goal differential to make playoffs in salary cap era

The Washington Capitals are in line to set a new salary cap era record if they can take care of business in their final two games of the regular season against the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers.

The Capitals, who currently sit in the second and final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, have a goal differential of minus-40 — the sixth-worst mark in the NHL this season.

Worst goal differential in NHL, 2023-24 season

As of the morning of Monday, April 15

1) San Jose Sharks, -139
2) Chicago Blackhawks, -108
3) Anaheim Ducks, -94
4) Columbus Blue Jackets, -66
5) Montreal Canadiens. -51
6) Washington Capitals, -40
7) Philadelphia Flyers, -25
8) Ottawa Senators, -24
9) Arizona Coyotes, -21
10) New York Islanders, -21

None of those 10 teams are currently in playoff position except for the Capitals and New York Islanders.

If the Capitals make the postseason, they are nearly guaranteed to be the new record holder for a team with the worst goal differential to make the playoffs in the salary cap era.

The previous worst was set over a decade ago by the 2011-12 Florida Panthers, finishing that year with a minus-24. The Panthers won the Southeast Division and finished sixth overall in the Eastern Conference with 94 standings points during the regular season. They’d go on to lose in the first round to the New Jersey Devils in seven games.

Per Sportsnet:

Since the first year of the salary cap era, in 2005-06, there have been 15 full, 82-game seasons and only 13 teams have qualified for the playoffs with a negative goal differential. It’s become harder to do, as well: the Dallas Stars, with a minus-8 goal differential in 2021-22, were the last team to do it and, before that, Ottawa’s minus-2 as the No. 2-ranked team in the Atlantic did it. In the first five years of the cap era, eight teams got in with a negative goal differential.

If the current playoff picture holds in both conferences, the Capitals and New York Islanders (minus-21) would be the 14th and 15th teams to accomplish the feat in the salary cap era and the only two teams to have negative goal differentials in this year’s postseason.

The last team to make the playoffs with a goal differential of minus-30 or worse was the 1994-95 San Jose Sharks (-32) — 29 years ago. The last team to make the playoffs with a goal differential of minus-40 or worse was the 1990-91 Vancouver Canucks (-72).

Only 18 teams in the last 40 years have made the postseason with a goal differential worse than minus-30 and none since the 1994-95 season (San Jose Sharks, minus-32).

In the league’s full history, the Capitals’ current minus-40 would not make the top 10 per NHL Stats.

The Capitals got so far underwater in goals by winning close and losing big – a phenomenon RMNB’s Peter Hassett wrote about in late March.

The Capitals are tied for sixth in the NHL with the most wins by one goal this season (15) — though the number does not count shootout wins. They’ve also lost a staggering 13 games by four or more goals.

This is how the Capitals have won and lost all their games this season, updating research initially done by Pucktology.

Let’s make some history, Caps!