Obviously, this question has never been more relevant than today, when in Washington nothing seems to have yet been decided as to whether the American people want to extend a hand to democracy and the imperfect common sense of the Democratic left. and/or if he prefers to get bogged down in the totalitarian anarchy of the Republican right. But the question we’re asking here at TLSH on Election Day is much simpler: What’s going on with the Washington Capitals at the start of the season?
To read – Season 2024-2025 | Washington Capitals Preview
Our colleague Simon Derome wrote a text on the Washington Capitals before the start of the season and he spoke about it with cautious optimism when it came to the Caps’ chances of being in the 2024 playoff picture. 2025. But we are now forced to admit that the head coach’s team Spencer Carbery is on a mission this season and the mixed pre-season predictions no longer hold water… for now.
In 11 games since the start of the season, the Capitals have a record of 8-3-0, 46 goals scored and a positive differential of +13. They currently occupy 4th place in the Metropolitan division, behind the New Jersey Devils , the New York Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes, but they are only 2 points behind the Devils, with 4 games in hand (thanks, in part, to the Global Series in Europe at the start of the season).
An unlikely goalkeeper tandem
Who would have thought that an NHL team could be successful with a duo of goalies occupying less than $1.9M on the payroll? That’s what Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson are doing. Sharing the task fairly equally, the two goalkeepers have rather similar averages and efficiency rates and, while Thompson leads in wins with 5, Lindgren supplants him for goals against average with 2.70 (vs. 2.97 for Thompson ). It will be interesting to see if either of them ends up becoming the Capitals’ number one goaltender, but, for now, the division of work seems to serve both players well and, while they are both on their last contract year, they will certainly want to have every chance to showcase themselves between now and the end of the season.
A solid defense?
Certainly, the acquisition of Jakob Chychrun this summer was an inspired move for Washington, but it didn’t impact the Capitals’ start to the season as much as the brilliance of the quarterback of the last fifteen years in Washington, John Carlson (7 points in 11 games and +10), but above all, the performance of the team’s defensive defenders: Trevor Van Riemsdyk and Martin Fehervary. Both defenders are currently in the top 25 in the NHL for blocked shots, while Rasmus Sandin, who technically should have a more offensive role, currently has 28 blocked shots, placing him 17th in the national league. In addition, Van Riemsdyk, who leads the Caps with 29 blocked shots, already has 7 assists, while he has 14 in 2023-2024 in 70 games.
Target 895 goals or make the playoffs?
Before the start of the season and since the Washington Capitals are no longer the powerhouse they once were, there seems to be a lot of focus on the possibility that Alex Ovechkin could reach the 895 career goal plateau and that he thus becomes the most prolific scorer in the history of the NHL, ahead of Wayne Gretzky. For now, with 7 goals in 11 games, Ovechkin is, statically speaking, on a trajectory of 52 goals this season, which would bring him to 905 career goals and comfortably place him first in history in the end of this season. Obviously, Ovechkin’s rate of production risks decreasing and it would be very likely that Gretzky’s record remains intact until next season, but nevertheless, with 7 goals and 7 assists since the start of the season, the Capitals seem to have found in their captain’s performances an energy that we had not seen in several seasons.
Among all the attackers who have played more than two games this season, only Pierre-Luc Dubois (-1) and Hendrix Lapierre (-5) have a negative differential in Washington. Dylan Strome already has 17 points, young Connor McMichael has 12 points and Aliaksei Protas with 11 points bring the total of Capitals players with one point or more per game to 4. And he also has Tom Wilson who scored 6 goals, placing him 2nd on his team and who continues to be a top-notch agitator.
So, for Capitals players, beyond the symbolic mark of 895 goals that Ovechkin will end up scoring in the NHL (this season or next), there seems to be a real desire in Washington to want to defy the prognoses and to allow the veterans of the team to possibly aspire to another participation in the playoffs and the younger ones to taste it again, but in a more convincing way this time. Obviously, the season is still young, but the Capitals seem to be heading into another fascinating season where, in order to extend their run, they will have to fight to maintain the pace they have set for themselves, a bit like our record before season had suggested it, but with the difference that there seems to be a consistency and a firm intention in Washington this year to want to send a clear message that there cannot be any passengers if they want to get to the end of this dream which, if the community is willing to do its part, remains within everyone’s reach, provided they make the necessary efforts.
