The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Game 9: Capitals at Predators, October 29

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

Having missed for the second time this season an opportunity to post a three-game winning streak, the Washington Capitals look to come back from their 2-0 loss in Dallas to the Stars when they visit Nashville to take on the Predators on Saturday night.

The shutout at the hands of the Stars was the first time this season that the Caps were blanked, ending a run of offensive dominance over which they scored 18 goals in four games, twice posting six goals.  This will be the third of a four-game road trip, the Caps splitting the first two games.  They are 1-3-0 on the road so far this season.

The Predators will be playing in the last of a three-game home stand, having split their first two contests, a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers followed by a 6-2 win over the St. Louis Blues.  The six-goal explosion against the Blues brought to an end, Predators fans hope, of an uneven offensive performance by their club to date.  In their first seven games before their win over the Blues, Nashville was held to a single goal three times and did not score more than three times since beating the San Jose Sharks, 4-1, on Opening Night.  While they have had reasonably good performance from the forwards on the roster, the defense has been notoriously absent on the score sheet. 

Consider the trio of Mattias Ekholm, Dante Fabbro, and Alexandre Carrier.  Last season, they combined for 12 goals and 85 points.  So far this season, they have combined for no goals and three points.  Fabbro is a bit of a mystery.  Is this year’s start a slump, or is it a regression to a more typical level of performance.  Last season he was 3-21-24, plus-13, in 66 games after going 8-16-24, minus-9, in 108 career games previously.  His per game production improved over the three seasons prior to this one, suggesting that this is merely a slump to start the season.  There is also his having a rather poor start to last season, going 0-4-4, plus-5, in his first 24 games before finishing 3-17-20, plus-8, over his last 42 games and his 0-2-2, even scoring line in his first 11 games of the 2020-2021 season.  Hot starts do not seem to be his thing.  Fabbro is 0-3-3, plus-2, in four career games against the Capitals.

Ekholm might be showing signs of wear.  Now in his 13^th NHL season, he posted 20 or more points in six of the seven seasons preceding this one.  But in five of his last six seasons he averaged more than 23 minutes of ice time per game and barely missed that mar in 2020-2021 (22:52).  Since 2014-2015, his 597 games played rank fifth among all NHL defensemen.  His ice time load mattered, at least last season.  In 26 games in which he logged at least 24 minutes, Nashville was 18-4-4.  When skating less than 22 minutes, they were 9-7-1 (he did not skate fewer than 20 minutes in any of the 76 games in which he played last season).  Ekholm’s ice time has been pared back a bit to start this season; he has not yet topped 23 minutes in ice time in any game and has two games in which he logged fewer than 20 minutes.  Ekholm is 4-7-11, plus-6, in 15 career games against the Caps.

Carrier might be suffering from a “sophomore slump.”  Okay, this is actually his fifth season with NHL experience, but last year was technically a “rookie” season for Carrier, who played in only 24 NHL games over the previous three seasons, thus preserving his rookie status.  It was an impressive season for Carrier, finishing last year tied for ninth in goals among rookie defensemen (three), third in assists (27), third in points (30), first in plus-minus (plus-26), tied for fourth in power play points (four), one of only six defensemen with at least one shorthanded point (an assist), and second in ice time per game among defensemen dressing for at least ten games (20:59).  Only Detroit’s Moritz Seider (78) and Washington’s Martin Fehervary (72) were on-ice for more even strength goals scored (63), and his plus-26 goal differential at evens doubled that of second-place Timothy Liljegren (plus-13).  And despite being on the smallish side (5’11”/174 pounds), he finished eighth among rookie defensemen in credited hits (95).  This season, though, is another story.  In eight games he has yet to record a point, has a minus-1 rating, and is averaging less than 18 minutes of ice time per game (17:42).  The odd thing about his ice time is that when skating more than 18 minutes, the Predators are 3-1-0, while they are 0-3-1 when he skated fewer than 18 minutes.  Carrier has no points and has a minus-3 rating in two career games against Washington.

1.  It was only in their most recent game, the 6-2 win over St. Louis, that the Predators got their first goal from a defenseman this season, a third-period power play goal by Roman Josi.  Nashville has only nine even strength points from seven defensemen in 48 man games to date.

2.  Nashville has struggled on special teams.  Their special team index of 96.6 (17.9 percent power play plus 78.7 percent penalty kill) ranks 24^th in the league.

3.  The Predators seem to prefer, or at least have played to date, deliberate style without a lot of flow over long stretches of time, at least if faceoffs are an indicator of the stop-and-start nature of games.  Only five teams have taken more draws than Nashville (254).

4.  Scoring early has not been something Nashville has done frequently.  At least not yet.  Only four teams have fewer first period goals than the Predators (five), and only seven teams have scored first fewer times than Nashville (three).

5.  Nashville is one of five teams looking for their first win when leading after one period (0-1-1).

1.  The Caps have lost three road games in regulation so far this season in four road games played.  Last year, they did not lose their third road game in regulation until November 30^th, in their 12^th road game of the season to that point and 23^rd game overall.

2.  The shutout in Dallas was the first against the Caps this season and matches their total times shutout last season – once, a 1-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Washington on January 24^th.  It was the first time they were shut out on the road since dropping a 1-0 loss to the New York Islanders on April 6, 2021.

3.  The Caps are another of those five teams looking to win their first game when leading after one period (0-2-0).  In fact, the Caps have lost all four games to date in which either team took a lead into the first intermission (0-4-0).

4.  Fans might not miss a lot of action if they get to the arena late or tune in late.  Washington has only six first period goals scored this season.  On the other side, they allowed only six goals in the first frame.

5.  Washington has only one one-goal win this season.  Then again, they have only two one-goal decisions in eight games.

The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

Nashville: Juuse Saros

The Predators signed Juuse Saros to a four-year/$20.0 million contract in August 2021, hoping he would slide seamlessly into the number one goaltending spot after the retirement of Predator legend Pekka Rinne after the 2020-2021 season.  Truth be told, he was already the number one goalie in Rinne’s last season, starting 35 games (21-11-1, 2.28, .927, three shutouts) to 21 for Rinne (10-12-1, 2.84, .907, two shutouts).  Last season, in the first year of his new deal, Saros demonstrated that the trust placed in him by virtue of the big contract had merit.  He was 38-25-3, 2.64, .918, with four shutouts.  He was third in the league in wins, and among 48 goalies with at least 1,500 minutes played, he was 15^th in goals against average and eighth in save percentage, while those four shutouts were tied for sixth-most in the league.  And while the 21 goalies taken in the 2013 Entry Draft is not the most accomplished draft class at the position, he does lead that group in games (228) and wins (116), as well as goals against average (2.54; minimum: 250 minutes played), and is second in that group in save percentage (.920).

Saros has been inconsistent to date this season.  The six games on his record are characterized by a roller-coaster game-to-game save percentage.  He opened the season with a 30-save effort (.968 SV) in Nashville’s 4-1 win over San Jose.  But then he stopped only 42 of 50 shots (.840) in back-to-back losses to the Dallas Stars.  Then came a 32-save game (.914) in a Gimmick loss to Los Angeles before stopping just 22 of 25 shots (.880) against Philadelphia in a 3-1 loss.  In his most recent outing, he stopped 33 of 35 shots (.943) in a 6-2 win over St. Louis.  Saros is 4-2-0, 3.02, .901 in six career games against the Caps.

Washington: Conor Sheary

Conor Sheary has faced each of the 32 NHL teams over his eight-year career.  He has no goals in six games in his career against the Vegas Golden Knights, which might not be all that surprising, since Vegas is in just their sixth NHL season.  He also is looking for his first career goal against the Nashville Predators, against whom he has eight career games.  If he is going to get that first career goal against the Predators, Saturday might be the night.  Sheary already has four goals in eight games so far, alone at the top of the Caps’ leader board.  He has slowed down a bit, though.  After posting goals in three of his first four games, he has one in his last four. 

Part of it is shooting frequency.  In those first four games he had shots on goal in each of them, ten in all, and no fewer than two in any of those games.  In his last four games he has a total of three shot on goal and was held without one twice.  There is also a home/road skew in his goals to date, although four goals and eight games is a small number from which to draw conclusions.  He has three of his four goals scored on home ice and one, in the 6-3 win over New Jersey last Monday, on the road.  An odd Sheary stat to date; for what it is worth, he has been credited with only one hit over his last six games after posting four in his first two contests.  For a player who has a feisty streak and plays, or at least has an attitude, bigger than his listed size (5’9”/178 pounds), that is a bit of a surprise.  Sheary is 0-3-3, even, in eight career games against Nashville.

In the end…

The Capitals have been engaged in something like a “box step” dance to open the season.  Two losses, two wins, loss, two wins, loss.  They have not been able to generate sustained momentum, but the other side of that is they have not endured the sort of soul-crushing slump to start the year of the sort Vancouver suffered.  Now, as they start the back half of their four-game road trip, it is a chance to grab some momentum once more, which will be important when they wrap things up on the road in Carolina on Monday.

Capitals 3 – Predators 2

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Game 8: Capitals at Stars, October 27

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

The Washington Capitals look to extend their good fortune on their first long road trip of the season when they visit the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.  The Caps defeated the New Jersey Devils, 6-3, on Monday to open the trip, but this contest could prove to be a move up in opponent weight class.  Through Tuesday’s games, Dallas sits atop the Central Division with a 4-2-1 record and have won both games played on home ice, impressive wins over the Nashville Predators (5-1) and Winnipeg Jets (4-1).

Dallas has been a good, if not dominating team on offense so far, their 3.29 goals per game tied for 14^th in scoring offense.  What they do have is balance.  Three players are tied for the team lead in points.  Two of them – Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz – are 2-5-7 through the Stars’ first seven games   Robertson has done much of his damage on the power play with a goal and two assists to tie Tyler Seguin for the team lead in power play points (three). 

Robertson was a second-round (39^th overall) pick in the 2017 Entry Draft by the Stars and has to be considered among the biggest overachievers of that draft.  His 60 career goals to date rank third in his draft class, trailing only Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson (100) and New Jersey’s Nico Hischier (81), fifth in power play goals (15), tied for second in overtime goals, and second in game-winning goals (15, trailing only Pettersson (16)).  He is seventh in points in his draft class (132) and eighth in power play points (31).  His plus-37 goal differential on ice at even strength is second in his draft class (Cale Makar: plus-79), and he is 13^th in takeaways (71).  He is a very efficient shooter, his 16.2 shooting percentage ranking sixth in his draft class among 67 skaters with at least 15 shots on goal.  Odd Robertson fact… he is already fourth in goals, all-time, among players born in California and sixth, all-time, in points.  Robertson comes into this game without a point in consecutive games for the first time this season after posting points in four of his first five games, all in Stars wins.  He is 0-1-1, minus-1, in two career games against Washington.

Roope Hintz has a similar draft pedigree as Robertson – second round (49^th overall) by Dallas in the 2015 Entry Draft.  He, too, can be thought of as an overachiever, relative to his draft slot.  His 82 career goals rank 13^th in his draft class, he is tied for 12^th in power play goals (21), tied for eighth in overtime goals (three), tied for ninth in game-winning goals (17), and third in shorthanded goals (six).  He is 18^th in points in his draft class (177), tenth in power play points (63), and tied for sixth in shorthanded points (seven).  He, like Robertson, is an efficient shooter, his 15.3 shooting percentage ranking fourth in his draft class.  Hintz broke out in a big way last season, his 37 goals (second to Robertson’s 41 for the team lead) in 80 games topping his combined total over the previous two seasons (34 in 101 games).  Dallas was 25-5-0 in the 30 games in which he scored at least one goal.  Hintz goes into Thursday’s game in a bit of a goal scoring slump.  He had a pair of goals, his only two goals this season, in a 5-1 win over Nashville in the second game of the season.  He does not have a goal in five games since on ten shots.  Dallas is 2-2-1 in those five games.  Hintz is 3-1-4, minus-2, in five career games against Washington.

The Stars are second in the league in scoring defense through Tuesday’s games (2.14 goals allowed per game).  And since the buck – or puck – stops with the goalie, that means Jake Oettinger should be having a fine start as the Stars’ number one netminder.  He is.  His four wins are tied for second in the league, while his goals against average (1.41) and save percentage (.953) rank second among 55 goalies to log at least 100 minutes so far.  Oettinger was the first goaltender taken in the 2017 Entry draft (26^th overall) after his first season with the Boston University Terriers in the NCAA in which he went 21-11-3, 2.11, .927, with four shutouts.  He played two more seasons with BU, going 37-29-8, 2.45, .921, with nine shutouts. 

He advanced to the AHL, playing parts of two seasons with the Texas Stars before making his NHL debut in unusual fashion, getting his first league action in the post season, dressing for two games, playing in a relief role in each.  Still, he did stop all eight shots he faced in 37 minutes of action.  He has stepped smoothly in to a role as number one goalie for the Stars.  Now in his third regular season of play, he is 45-24-8, 2.39, .916, with two shutouts in 82 appearances to date.  Oettinger won his first four decisions this season, and even though he lost his last outing, it was a 26-save effort in a 3-1 loss to Boston.  He allowed no more than two goals in any of his five appearances to date, extending a regular season game streak to eight games dating back to his last three appearances last season.  He has been very good, and very fortunate at home over his career to date.  While his goals against average/save percentage have not differed much, home and away (2.35/.913 at home, 2.45/.920 on the road), he is 30-7-5 at home and 15-17-3 on the road.  In two career games against the Caps, Oettinger is 1-0-0, 1.50, .950.

1.  Dallas is fifth in the league in home scoring offense (4.50 goals per game) and tied for first in home scoring defense (1.00 goals allowed per game).  OK, it is only two games.

2.  Overall, Dallas is a top-ten team on both sides of special teams – eighth on the power play (26.1 percent) and seventh on power plays (88.2 percent).

3.  Dallas has been reasonably successful to date with their 4-2-1 record, but scoring first has not seemed to matter.  They are 3-1-1 when scoring first (.600/T-18^th) and 1-1-0 when allowing the first goal (.500/T-11^th).

4.  Dallas has been a very good 40 minute team this season.  They have taken leads into the third period four times (4-0-0) and trailed going into the third period only once (0-1-0)

5.  Only four of 20 skaters to dress for the Stars do not have a point so far, only two who have appeared in more than one game (forward Denis Gurianov, with none in six games, and defenseman Colin Miller, with none in seven games).

1.  This might not be a high-shot volume game.  Washington and Dallas rank 25^th and 24^th, respectively, in shots on goal per game (28.3 per game for the Caps, 28.6 for the Stars).

2.  The Caps are one of five teams in the league to score at least 3.25 goals per game (3.57) and allow at least 3.25 goals per game (3.43).  The others are Minnesota (3.67/4.67), Edmonton (3.67/3.33), Los Angeles (3.38/4.13), and Seattle (3.25/3.50).

3.  Washington is one of three teams to have scored and allowed at least ten second period goals (10 scored/10 allowed).  The others are Seattle (13/10) and Boston (10/10).

4.  The Caps have a better record when trailing first (3-2-0/.600) than they do when scoring first (1-1-0/.500).

5.  Nic Dowd is the only Capital with more than one goal on the road thus far (two).

The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

Dallas: Joe Pavelski

Three active players in the NHL have recorded at least 400 career goals, at least 900 career points, and have a rating of plus-150 or better.  Sidney Crosby is one, Patrice Bergeron is another.  The third is Joe Pavelski, one of the more underrated players of his era.  Pavelski, in addition to being productive, is consistent.  Now in his 17^th NHL season, he recorded 20 or more goals in 12 of his first 16 seasons, 50 or more points in 12 seasons, ten or more power play goals in seven seasons.  He has been a solid two-way performer, winning Selke Trophy votes for best defensive forward 13 times.  Only once in 17 seasons, including this one, did he post a minus-rating for the season (minus-4 in 75 games with San Jose in 2018-2019).

Pavelski has had an up and down start to the season.  He had points in his first two contests (1-2-3, plus-4) before going consecutive games without a point with an “even” rating.  In Game 5 he broke out in a big way, going 3-1-4, plus-2, in a 5-2 win in Montreal against the Canadiens on October 22^nd.  He then went without a point in consecutive games, the streak he brings into Thursday night’s contest against the Caps.  It is early, but he has a distinct home/road split – 0-2-2, plus-3, in 14:03 per game in ice time at home versus 4-1-5, plus-2, in 15:52 of average ice time on the road.  It is not inconsistent with his career numbers, which tilt toward heavier home ice production (229-265-494, plus-122, in 591 home games) than on the road (196-241-437, plus-30, in 584 road games).

Even though he is one of the most productive players in the league, he signed just a one-year contract with Dallas last March that will pay him $5.5 million this season, a pay cut from the $7.0 million per season he earned on the three-year deal that expired at the end of last season.  At age 38, it is not an unreasonable contract for the team, and it would seem to provide some incentive to produce for Pavelski if he is considering playing past this season.  He is 9-14-23, plus-6, in 23 career games against the Caps.

Washington: Nick Jensen

Nick Jensen’s early days as a Capital were characterized by an offense-challenged game and a generally anonymous presence on the ice.  The former is not a bad thing for a primarily defensive defenseman, although he did go his first 108 games as a Capital without a goal.  The latter is not a bad thing for a defenseman if that anonymity extends to the opponents against whom he plays.  In his first two-plus seasons with the Caps he was on ice for only 82 even strength goals, 61 fewer than John Carlson and 32 fewer than Dmitry Orlov despite leading Capitals defensemen in games played with 141 (Carlson and Orlov each had 140).

Last season, Jensen’s offensive game opened up more.  He set a career high in goals (five) and points (21).  His plus-32 rating was by leaps and bounds better than his previous best (plus-5 with the Caps in 2020-2021).  He also opened up his physical game with 135 credited hits, by far the most he recorded in any season in his career to date (he had 82, split between the Caps and Detroit, in 2018-2019).

Jensen opened this season as if he was going to obliterate his personal best offensive numbers from last season.  In seven games, he is 1-4-5, plus-3, shooting 11.1 percent (his previous best was 6.8 percent with Detroit in 2016-2017).  He has been on ice for eight even strength goals scored by the Caps, tied for the team lead among defensemen with Carlson.  His on-ice even strength goal differential of plus-3 is best among the Caps’ blueliners.  He is also getting significant penalty killing time, second among defensemen in shorthanded ice time per game (2:17, trailing only Trevor van Riemsdyk (2:27)).  Jensen does not have a point and has a minus-5 rating in eight career games against Dallas.

In the end…

The Caps have scored 18 goals in their last four games.  Dallas allowed single goals in each of their first three games, but they have given up 12 goals in their last four games.  Although the Caps do not have the best of records in Texas, it has not been bad (5-4-1 in their last ten visits to Dallas), and they won their last two trips to Big D, 4-1 in October 2019 and 5-0 last January.  This has the makings of three in a row for the men in red.

Capitals 4 – Stars 3

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Game 7: Capitals at Devils, October 24

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

We have an abbreviated preview of Monday’ night’s contest in New Jersey against the Devils, which should not diminish the importance of the Washington Capitals’ first game against a Metropolitan Division rival this season.

For the Devils…

1.  It has been even-steven for the Devils in goals scored and allowed so far with New Jersey scoring 14 goals and allowing 14 goals through five games.

2.  New Jersey’s special teams have been very uneven in the early going.  Their power play (13.3 percent) ranks 23^rd in the league, while their 93.3 percent penalty kill ranks fifth.

3.  The Devils have allowed an amazingly low 21.2 shots per game so far.  How amazing is that?  If it was over a full season, it would be the lowest shots allowed per game since the league began recording team shots in 1959-1960.

4.  Maybe the Caps, a notoriously poor faceoff team, will win a faceoff against the Devils, but it might not be many.  New Jersey is fourth in the league on faceoff winning percentage (55.5 percent).

5.  The Devils have struggled to score early in games.  They have two first period goals in five games.  Only Chicago (one in four games) and Arizona (one in five games) have fewer.

6.  Jesper Bratt is one of two players in the league with eight assists but no goals (Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov is the other).

7.  The Devils are just two power play goals in five games to date.  Forwards Alexander Holtz and Dawson Mercer are the goal scorers.  For Holtz it is his first NHL power play goal.

8.  Former Capital Jonas Siegenthaler has become a mainstay on the Devils’ blue line.  His 20:42 in ice time per game is second among defensemen and is a career high to date.

9.  New Jersey has dressed two rookie skaters to date – Holtz, who has appeared in three games (1-0-1, minus-2) and forward Fabian Zetterlund (one game, 0-1-1, plus-1).

10.  Ondrej Palat, in his first seasons with New Jersey after spending his first ten seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, leads the team in goals with three.

For the Caps...

1. Nine Capitals have shared in the 19 goals scored to date, Conor Sheary and Anthony Mantha leading the team with three apiece.

2.  Fifteen Caps have points among the 20 skaters to dress so far.  Five Caps are tied with five points apiece: Evgeny Kuznetsov (0-5-5), Marcus Johansson, John Carlson, T.J. Oshie, and Alex Ovechkin, the last four each with 2-3-5 scoring lines.

3.  John Carlson has skated at least 22 minutes in each of the Caps’ six games so far.  Not that it matters a lot.  The Caps won in his high ice time game of the year (the 4-3 win over Los Angeles when he skated 26:05) and they won in his two lowest ice time games of the year (23:04 in a win over Montreal and 22:04 in a win over Vancouver).

4.  Six games into the season, and the Caps have not yet dressed a rookie.

5.  Nine Capitals have at least ten shots on goal so far, led by Alex Ovechkin with 22.

6.  The Caps have been uneven in their special teams play, posting a 23.8 percent power play and a 66.7 percent penalty kill.

7. The Caps once more struggle with faceoffs, their 41.3 winning percentage being third-worst in the league.

8.  Washington has allowed the most empty net goals in the league so far (three).

9.  The Caps have 14 goals at 5-on-5, tied for fourth-most in the league.

10.  Scoring or giving up the first goal has not mattered to the Caps so far; they are 1-1-0 when scoring first and 2-2-0 when scored upon first.

The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

New Jersey: Vitek Vanecek

Will Vitek Vanecek find consistency and happiness in New Jersey after an up-and-down year with the Caps in 2021-2022?  Well, not if his first (and to date, only) game with the Devils is an indication.  The Detroit Red Wings lit him up for five goals on 22 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Wings on October 15^th.  It was a cold splash of water in the face of the 27-year old netminder after going 4-0-0, 1.58, .928, with one shutout in the preseason.  It was an about face for Vanecek, who started last year 2-0-1, 1.30, .946 in his first three appearances with the Caps.

The Devils presented Vanecek with an opportunity, if not to be the number one netminder, then to provide consistent and perhaps frequent backup work behind MacKenzie Blackwood, who struggled last season (9-10-4, 3.39, .892, with two shutouts) while struggling with a heel injury that caused him to miss 46 games over two separate stretches.  Blackwood posting diminishing save percentages over his four seasons in New Jersey (.918/.915/.902/.892) had to be a concern going into this season, and Vanecek did have the advantage of playing for a playoff contender last season and serving as a number one goalie from time tom time (but not, as it turned out, consistently).  If Vanecek gets the call against his former teammates, it would be his first career appearance against the Caps.

Washington: Marcus Johansson

Through six games so far, Marcus Johansson has played as the veteran professional he is.  Now in his 13^th NHL season and his second tour with the Caps (one of six NHL teams for which he played), he is tied for the team lead in points (2-3-5), has a team-high plus-3 rating, has three power play points (all assists), has recorded one of the Caps’ three game-winning goals, and has 13 shots on goal, tied for third-most on the team.  Johansson’s work on the power play has been especially noteworthy, his production being a pleasant surprise as a replacement for Evgeny Kuznetsov on the top power play unit.  He has been very effective in that role, considering that he has a total of just 15:57 in power play ice time to date, fifth among forwards.  Two of his three power play assists have been of the primary variety.  His 7.52 primary power play assists per 60 minutes ranks fourth among 110 forwards with at least 15 minutes of total power play ice time to date.  And, it might be something underestimated, but he has been able to get pucks to the net.  Johansson has only one missed shot in six games so far, fewest of any Caps forward appearing in more than one game.  Johansson is 4-5-9, plus-3, in 29 career games against New Jersey.

In the end…

The Caps were among the best teams on the road last season.  Their 25 road wins tied Calgary for most in the league, while their .683 points percentage on a record of 25-10-6 led the league.  They did it on both sides of the puck, their 3.44 goals per game ranking sixth in road scoring offense and their 2.80 goals allowed per road game being sixth-fewest in the league.  The Caps opened this season with a pair of road losses in Toronto and Ottawa but get a chance to turn things around in their first Metro Matchup of the season.

Capitals 4 – Devils 2