Capitals: Top 5 players that have made 2020 memorable

#5 Ilya Samsonov

The rookie netminder has shown that the future of the net in Washington belongs to him. Ilya Samsonov was enjoying a solid first season in Washington but also had his share of slumps.

Samsonov carried a 16-6-2 record before the pause in 26 games with a 2.55 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. He made his NHL debut on Oct. 4 stopping 25 of the 26 shots he faced for the win. He followed that up with a win in Dallas where he stopped 24 of 25 shots.

Samsonov got his first home win which was a victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs where he stopped 29 of 32 shots. He followed that up with two more wins.

After two tough losses, one in overtime granted, Samsonov won four games in a row. Then came his best stretch of the season that got the whole town buzzing on the goaltending duo. It was a stretch where Samsonov won seven straight games.

Unfortunately, it was the last time Samsonov won as he struggled to get a win since before the pause. Struggles happen though when it comes to rookies so no reason to panic.

One thing is certain, Samsonov has made the future of goaltending exciting in Washington and if the season continues it’ll be a storyline worth watching.

#4 Braden Holtby

In what could be his final season in D.C. Braden Holtby has done his part to try to make his final season in a Caps sweater memorable. The Holtbeast has a 25-14-6 record this season with a 3.11 goals-against average and an .897 save percentage.

Although those numbers aren’t the best for Holtby, he did get better before the season was paused going 5-3-2 with a 2.75 GAA and .911 save percentage. He was likely to get the net for the playoffs as the net was his in the game that would’ve taken place had the season not been paused that Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings.

Holtby started the season with a win over the St. Louis Blues on opening night where he stopped 20 of the 22 shots he faced. After a couple overtime defeats and regulation losses Holtby won three games in a row. After an overtime loss, Holtby went on to win seven in a row. Early in the season the Holtbeast was on top of his game.

If this was indeed Holtby’s last run with the Caps thank you for everything. Holtby’s career with the Caps is 282-122-46 with a 2.53 GAA and a .916 save percentage.

Two down now three more to go.

#3 Jakub Vrana

Jakub Vrana‘s development into a superstar has been fun to watch and this season saw him blossom into a next level talent as one of the most impactful players on the Capitals. If it wasn’t for the pause he could be a 30 goal scorer.

Vrana has a career-high 25 goals and 27 assists for 52 points. He made 2020 memorable right from the first night of the season when he scored an overtime goal in St. Louis to crash the Blues championship banner night.

A few weeks later with the World Series champion Washington Nationals in the house, Vrana notched a hat trick against the Calgary Flames. That was a fun night.

Vrana is an even strength machine with 24 of his 25 goals coming at five-on-five while the other one came on the power play. He’s done well on the second line with Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie and should get a look at the top line once and a while. He should definitely get more power play time.

Vrana also has six game-winning goals. Our favorite would have to be the one he had against the New York Islanders that also included an Alex Ovechkin hat trick in a comeback win for the ages.

#2 John Carlson

John Carlson is enjoying a historic season from the offensive side of things that would make Mike Green applaud him. Before the pause he was on his way to possibly eclipsing 100 points.

Carlson recorded a career-high 75 points with 15 goals and 60 assists, putting him on pace for 89 points at season’s end. His previous career-best was 70 which he posted last season. He leads all defensemen in points and is 10 ahead of Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators. His 60 assists are the fourth best among all skaters.

Carlson made history by passing Calle Johansson for the most points by a defensemen in franchise history when Carlson notched his 475th point back on Feb. 23 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He now has 478.

Carlson had a few more records to break that he probably won’t be able to because of the stoppage to the season. He was one assist away from tying Scott Steven’s single-season record for assists that he set in the 1988-89 season.

Carlson also was within striking distance from Larry Murphy’s franchise record 81 points which was the most in franchise history for points by a defensemen. Murphy set that in 1986-87.

There was 13 games left in the season so it was all but a lock for Carlson to break those records. Nonetheless his chase for the Norris Trophy has helped make 2020 memorable.

#1 Alex Ovechkin

There’s no doubt the one player who’s made the season the most memorable is none other than the great eight, the team captain, Alex Ovechkin. He is tied for the league lead with 48 goals on the season with David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins and has added 19 assists for 67 points.

Ovechkin also has 706 goals in his career after scoring his 700th career goal back in February in what seems like ages ago. During that chase Ovechkin heated up before enduring a dry spell.

Ovechkin had 14 goals in seven games from Jan. 13 to Feb. 4 including three hat tricks which included hattys in consecutive games. The first one came against the New Jersey Devils, then the second one helped the Caps come back and defeat the New York Islanders.

The one hat trick I enjoyed came against the Los Angeles Kings. Ovechkin was held without a shot during that whole game until the third period when he ironically scored his first natural hat trick. It made the building go from dead to alive.

Then came the dry spell of five games without a goal before he scored 699 and 700, respectively against the Montreal Canadiens and the Devils. The second game came on the road but plenty of Caps fans made the trip.