Washington Capitals Plus/Minus: Early Season Numbers Promising
We’re four games in to the NHL calendar for the Capitals. Statistically speaking, this only represents 5% of the regular season. Of course, it’s too early to crown them as contenders or pretenders. However, the numbers show the Caps again as one of the strongest teams in the NHL.
With 7 of a possible 8 points, the Capitals are again sitting atop the Metropolitan Division. Neither of those things matter at this point in the season as much as identifying the trends to see how well the team is playing. Let’s take a look at the team’s plus minus.
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Plus: Possession
It’s not secret that good possession numbers tend to predict playoff success. The Caps were a mediocre possession team during the second half of last season. In the early stages of this season, and with Kuznetsov back to centering the top line, the team has reversed this trend. Just four games into the season, Washington’s 5-on-5 SACF is 58.15%. They currently own the title of top possession team in the league. Not that this is having played against the Stanley Cup Champs and three of four against playoff teams. Certainly, four games isn’t enough games to identify whether or not the Caps are there to stay, but the start should be promising to any fan.
Plus: Defense & Shot Suppression
It’s not like those strong possession numbers are coming from a run-and-gun style, and trading chances with the opponent. The Caps have allow 44.5 5-on-5 shot attempts per 60 minutes (adjusted for score effects); good for second best in the NHL. What’s more, they’ve only allowed 4 goals at even strength though their first four games. With the amount of fire power this team has on offense, those numbers should make Barry Tritz very happy. It’s the primary reason the Caps are undefeated through four (not accounting for skills competitions).
Minus: Special Teams
Through two games the Capitals were 0-for-8 on the man advantage, but the talks of a struggling power play were put to bed following a two goal performance vs Colorado. After the night against Florida, the Caps are 2-for-14 a man up. Add this to a penalty kill that sits at 8-for-11 through the same span, and you have a special teams unit that is dead in the middle of the mediocre. The power play hasn’t looked particularly menacing and the penalty kill has had to rely too much on the brilliance of Braden Holtby. Last season, Washington was a top-5 team in both domains. They’ll have to improve on these numbers if they are to return to the same rankings.
We’ll be looking at these numbers going forward. Certainly, on the whole the team is off to a strong start. It will be interesting to see how they fare going forward against the young and fast Western Canadian teams. If the special teams can rebound and the possession domination continues, the Caps are on their way to a historical season.
Note: stats courtesy of corsica.hockey
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