The Washington Capitals have held the lead in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division for most of the 2019-20 season. Two years ago, they finally kicked the Pittsburgh Penguins out of the playoffs and rolled to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The 2018-19 campaign was a bit of a regression, but the Capitals are primed to roll to a division crown and a first-round playoff date with a wild card opponent when the league ends the hiatus due to fears of the spread of the coronavirus. Washington has a record of 41-20-8, good for 90 points, one ahead of the streaking Philadelphia Flyers. The Caps have stumbled a bit lately, winning just four of their last ten games (although taking points in three of those six losses). Their goal differential (+25) is fourth in the division, showing that their defense may be taking on some water; in fact, the 215 goals they have permitted is the third-worst total among the eight teams in the Metropolitan, and the other two teams are the two worst teams in the standings. If NHL futures are a part of your sports betting this April, take a look at our thoughts on where the Caps stand right now along with their NHL Odds and Stanley Cup Odds.
NHL: Washington Capitals 2019-20 Season Analysis
If you look at December 23, that marked a turning point in the Capitals’ season. Before that night, Washington had the most points in the NHL (57) with a 26-6-5 record. However, they took a 7-3 shellacking at the hands of the Boston Bruins that night. Since then, they have gone 15-14-3. Things have been even worse since February 2; since then, they have gone just 6-8-3. Before that game against the Bruins, they led the league in scoring (3.54 goals per game) and were eight in goals permitted per game (2.76). They were second on the penalty kill (85.7%). Since then, they have dropped to eighth in scoring (3.28), 29th in goals permitted (3.44) and 19th on the penalty kill (78.7%). They have not won two or more games in a row in regulation since January 27, when they finished a four-game winning streak.
Offensive Analysis
The offense begins with Alex Ovechkin, the best of Washington’s top six forwards. Ovechkin is tied for the NHL lead in goals with 48, with the Bruins’ David Pastrnak. However, some of the worker-bee forwards are starting to produce. Carl Hagelin has put up 16 points (including seven goals), and Richard Panik has 14 points (with four goals), all in the last 22 contests. John Carlson is contributing to the offense from the blue line. He leads all defensemen in the league with 75 points, a career best already for him, with 15 goals. He just needs six more points to tie the team’s record for points by a defenseman in a season, which was set by Larry Murphy all the way back in 1986-87.
Defensive Analysis
The Capitals are not a smothering team on defense. When they win, they outscor the opposition and rely on goaltender Braden Holtby to hold things down. An example of this came on March 7, when they steamrolled the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-2. Washington ran out to a 3-0 lead in the first period. Pittsburgh was able to draw within a goal before the Capitals’ offense started rolling again. However, the defense took a bad penalty on a breakaway by Jared McCann, who had a penalty shot chance against Holtby. Holtby stood tall and made the save (part of a 26-save night).
Key Numbers & Key Players
Jakub Vrana is just 24 years old but is emphatically making his mark, setting career bests in goals (25), assists (27) and points (52) for the second consecutive season, and he still has 13 games remaining in this regular season schedule. He is tied for first on the team with Carlson for game-winning goals with six, and his 27 goals are third on the Capitals’ roster.
Playoffs panorama and Championship Odds
Washington currently has +1800 odds to win the Stanley Cup once league play resumes. The inconsistencies in their play since the end of December are one of the reasons why those odds are so high for a division leader. The fact that so many division leaders end up falling in the first or second rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs also likely plays a role here. After the lengthy break, Washington could show up like they did in the first few months of the season — or their inconsistency could be made worse by the rust that has gathered during the time at home.
