I’ve been reading some of my ancient posts because I noticed that a recent WordPress update (don’t know if it was this last one or a previous one) had resulted in some odd characters added to posts. (I’m sure those of you who are longtime WordPress users know of what I speak.) In any case, I came across this post from 2007 about the miserable season the Caps were going through at the time. Much doom and gloom then. Can’t say the same thing these days, can we? The Caps, as of this writing, are 54-16-5 with a game against the Flyers in progress and six games to go after that. This has quietly been one of the greatest regular seasons in NHL history.
I’ve been meaning to write an entry about how great the Caps have been this year, and I guess it’s a good thing the post cleanup effort finally gave me the easy impetus to do so. There are a bunch of things that scream “historical team” about this squad:
- They’ve gone over a year since they last lost at least two games in a row in regulation. This is insane. The last time they lost two regulation games in a row was on March 11 and 13, 2015. They’ve only had three two-game losing “streaks” of any kind this year, one of which came after two of their games were snowed out during the huge storm in January.
- They have eight guys with double-digit goal totals. A huge amount of depth this year that has done them well and bodes well for the playoffs (more on that later).
- They have a +61 goal differential, almost exactly twice the next best teams. They have the second-most goals scored in the league (they fell behind Dallas’ pace in the second half) and the fewest goals allowed in the league (only Anaheim’s anywhere close to them here).
- Braden Holtby is currently 46-9-4 with a 2.19 GAA and .923 save percentage. He hasn’t been quite as sharp after the All-Star break — 30-5-3 with 2.07 GAA and .929 SV% vs. 16-4-1 with 2.41 GAA and .911 SV% — but a lot of teams would kill for those post-All-Star numbers prorated over the whole year.
- They are almost equally as good on the road as they are at home. Very similar records in both cases — and single-digit regulation loss totals for both.
As good as the Warriors are in the NBA this year, the Caps have been almost as good against the rest of the NHL.
However, as I mentioned above, the Caps are doing all this somewhat quietly relative to the sort of success they’re having. We all know why that is — well, in actuality, there are a few reasons, but one big one: the Caps have a horrid playoff history. This has loomed over the whole season for a lot of Caps fans I hear on sports talk radio and read in the Washington Post comments sections; we can’t seem to enjoy this season for what it is.
Well, I’ve made a concerted effort to do so, and will continue to do so pretty much no matter the outcome in the playoffs. Short of being bounced in the first round or swept or bounced in 5 games in the second round (your season can’t be “historic” if you fail that badly), this season will live fondly in my memory for quite a while. While most Caps fans said, “We’ve seen this before” when the Caps clinched the President’s Trophy earlier this week, the truth is, the Caps have never been as good as they are this year, even in ’09.
“What do you mean, they haven’t been this good?” you say? Let’s take a look:
- They’ve won 54 games with seven games to go. The most they’ve ever won — in ’09 — was 54 for the season.
- This team is deep. Really deep. Deeper than the note above even suggests. Their top line is great, but their second line scores at a good clip as well. Their bottom two lines are better than just about anyone else’s bottom two lines as well. Their defense is stout up and down the lineup for the first time in a long time. The ’09 team doesn’t compare.
- The Caps are getting excellent goaltending, even with the occasional lapse. Holtby’s likely going to win the Vezina this year (understatement of the year?) and break Brodeur’s wins record for a season. There aren’t many (if any) goalies I’d take over him — definitely not in the Eastern Conference, at least.
- The Caps are great in close games. (They’re great in blowouts, too, but that’s beside the point.) They’re also insanely resilient. Whereas in past years you’d have a really bad feeling if they got down a goal or two early in a game, the Caps have come back countless times to win this year. It’s gotten to the point that I don’t even really pay much attention to the score if they’re behind only a goal, even in the third period — I know that they’ll come back, even if they don’t always win. Usually things like one-goal game proficiency even out over the course of the year, but it hasn’t this year — this is who this team is.
- The coaching staff is doing a great job. Trotz has been great since he’s been here, but much like Steve Kerr and Luke Walton in Golden State, Trotz and his staff have been pushing the right buttons all year long and have kept the good times rolling and the bad times minimized.
- Lots of veteran leadership this year, including some grizzled Cup winners who show up in playoff games. (Much like the Paul Pierce effect for the Wizards last year — it’s amazing how much they miss him this year.) Justin Williams and Mike Richards were great pickups (along with T.J. Oshie) that the front office has made. (Who knew McClellan had it in him? A lot of fans assumed he’d be McPhee 2.0 since he’s worked here for so long.)
All that to say that I am optimistic for a deep playoff run this year. Let’s hope it happens.