The Washington Capitals offense has been firing on all cylinders this season. Not only has Alex Ovechkin (38 goals) continued to dominate league goaltenders at age 39, but Tom Wilson (32) and Aliaksei Protas (30) have both hit the 30-goal mark in the NHL for the first time in their careers.
The trio accounts for a staggering 37 percent of the Capitals’ output this season — a league-leading 269 goals scored.
Upon Protas notching his 30th in the Caps’ 8-5 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday, the trio became the first for the team since the 2009-10 campaign to record at least 30 tallies in a single season when Nicklas Backstrom (33 goals), Alexander Semin (40) and Ovechkin (50) all hit the milestone.
Digging deeper, the Capitals have had only 10 seasons in their 50-year history where at least three players have reached the 30-goal plateau. Additionally, of the 562 skaters who have played in at least one game for the Capitals, only 26 have recorded at least 30 goals in a season, including current color commentator Craig Laughlin, who scored exactly 30 in 1985-86.
Capitals’ all-time 30-goal-scorers
| Player | # of 30-goal seasons | Last 30-goal season |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Ovechkin | 19 | 2024-25 |
| Peter Bondra | 9 | 2002-03 |
| Mike Gartner | 9 | 1987-88 |
| Dennis Maruk | 4 | 1982-83 |
| Alex Semin | 3 | 2009-10 |
| Dave Christian | 3 | 1988-89 |
| Bobby Carpenter | 3 | 1984-85 |
| Jaromir Jagr | 2 | 2002-03 |
| Dmitri Khristich | 2 | 1992-93 |
| Dino Ciccarelli | 2 | 1991-92 |
| Geoff Courtnall | 2 | 1989-90 |
| Mike Ridley | 2 | 1989-90 |
| Guy Charron | 2 | 1977-78 |
| Tom Wilson | 1 | 2024-25 |
| Aliaksei Protas | 1 | 2024-25 |
| T.J. Oshie | 1 | 2016-17 |
| Nicklas Backstrom | 1 | 2009-10 |
| Mike Green | 1 | 2008-09 |
| Chris Clark | 1 | 2006-07 |
| Kevin Hatcher | 1 | 1992-93 |
| Alan Haworth | 1 | 1985-86 |
| Craig Laughlin | 1 | 1985-86 |
| Bengt-Ake Gustafsson | 1 | 1983-84 |
| Ryan Walter | 1 | 1981-82 |
| Chris Valentine | 1 | 1981-82 |
| Tom Rowe | 1 | 1978-79 |
The Capitals didn’t have their first 30-goal scorer until 1976-77 when Guy Charron scored 36 times in his first season in Washington. It took another two seasons for the team to produce multiple players with 30-plus thanks to Dennis Maruk and Tom Rowe.
The 1981-82 season was the only time the Caps saw five different players notch at least 30 goals, something that has happened just 30 other times in NHL history. That achievement would nearly be repeated in 1985-86 when four different players hit the benchmark. Centerman Bobby Carpenter missed out on joining Locker, Alan Haworth, Mike Gartner, and Dave Christian by just three goals.
Ovechkin currently holds the NHL record for most 30-goal seasons. He passed Mike Gartner (17) in 2023-24 and has only failed to reach 30 red lights once (the pandemic shortened 2020-21). The next closest active player is Sidney Crosby, with 12 such campaigns.
This story has been updated after publication.
