Howdy, folks, we’re back for another year of my mother’s favorite series of posts where we delve into some of the statistics and analytics of every single Capitals game. You’ll get your usual math, hopefully less complaining about how awful the team’s power play is, a joke every now and then, and plenty of mentions of Alex Ovechkin because he breaks a record every time he steps on the ice.
I’ve been running this here show for several years now, and it’s almost always the only thing anyone brings up when I tell them, “Hey, do you read RMNB? I’m Chris.” That’s always cool, and I enjoy it, so that’s why we keep doing these. Okay, now that you’ve had enough of my inane ramblings, let’s get down to business.
The new-look Washington Capitals kicked off their 2026-27 regular season with an incredibly impressive 5-2 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. This was no run-of-the-mill win to start the year, as the Caps legitimately squeezed the life out of a team they have struggled against five-on-five in the past, and it wasn’t even close. Really fun stuff because I hate the Hurricanes and how they play.
- Look, the Hurricanes will always get their shot attempts because they throw any puck past center ice to the opposing goaltender. They finished up 52-38 in five-on-five attempts, but the key against them is to limit their quality chances, and the Capitals did just that. Washington owned 58.1 percent of scoring chances, 63.3 percent of high-danger chances, and 61.5 percent of expected goals at five-on-five, adjusted for score and venue. On the road against a team like Carolina, that’s about as complete of a performance as you can ask for. The goal will be to repeat that kind of dominance all throughout the regular season, not just in the early first-half games like they have the past two years.
- Alex Tuch was one of several players to make his Capitals debut on Saturday, but he was the only one to score two goals. Tuch is only the fifth player in franchise history to score multiple goals in his Caps debut, joining Mikhail Grabovski, Scott Walker, Alex Ovechkin, and Brian Bellows. He finished the night with his two goals, 16:37 of ice time, three shots, three shot attempts, three individual scoring chances, two individual high-danger chances, one drawn penalty, one hit, and one shot block.
- Washington’s most dominant line from a controlling-play standpoint was their dueling Ilya Protas and Aliaksei Protas monster combination with Jordan Kyrou. With Little Pro on the ice at five-on-five, the Capitals finished on top in shot attempts (14-6), shots on goal (8-1), goals (1-0), scoring chances (6-1), high-danger chances (2-0), and recorded 87.4 percent of expected goals. They were such a good trio that I ship them as much as I ship Drew and Melody from Big Brother 28. If literally one person gets that reference, I will be pleased.
- Don’t love seeing the Capitals put the Hurricanes on six power plays, but the penalty kill looked pretty fantastic despite giving up a goal to Sebastian Aho. I thought both Boone Jenner and Vincent Desharnais looked particularly awesome shorthanded, and they’d better get used to a ton of those minutes this season. Matt Roy also remains an absolute horse, skating 7:34 of ice time with the team down a man. Give that guy a medal.
- Every single Capitals player played at least 11:31 of ice time in the win, showcasing what head coach Spencer Carbery should be able to do regularly now that he has so much depth to work with. Without the intense load on the penalty killers, the split would likely be even more evenly dispersed. The Capitals looked that good, and Tom Wilson played the least of anyone on the team at five-on-five (9:21). I cannot imagine saying that often in recent years.
- Logan Thompson was excellent in the win, stopping 31 of the 33 shots he faced. According to MoneyPuck, he saved two more goals than expected, getting a good start on matching the league-leading 29.3 he amassed last season.
- The biggest goal of the game was probably Ryan Leonard‘s, which came just eight seconds after Carolina scored their first of the game. Leonard was arguably Washington’s most active forward, recording three shots, five shot attempts, four individual scoring chances, two individual high-danger chances, two hits, and one shot block. He also lined up in Ovechkin’s spot on the second power-play unit, which should be a permanent fixture this year.
- Speaking of Alex Ovechkin, the 41-year-old winger logged 12:46 of ice time and recorded one shot on goal. He earned an assist on Tuch’s first goal, leaving him just four assists shy of passing Nicklas Backstrom (762) for the franchise-record most. He’ll surely get that record, but I don’t know how I feel about it.
Numbers thanks to Hockey-Reference, NaturalStatTrick, and HockeyStatCards.
