Washington Capitals: Top 3 stars of April so far
The Washington Capitals have a different look this month than they had in previous months following the aftermath of the NHL trade deadline. In the final full month of the regular season, the Caps are looking to get as much points as they can to win the MassMutual East Division.
So which players on the Caps rose to the occasion so far in a month that’s seen the team go 6-5-0 with four big games remaining to close out the month and 10 remaining overall? We take a look at the best of the best.
#3 Ilya Samsonov
Ilya Samsonov has had an up and down season. But so far he’s caught his stride with more ups than downs. So far in the month of April, he carries a 3-2-0 record with a .880 save percentage. So far this season, Samsonov is 11-3-1 with a 2.84 goals against average and a .898 save percentage.
Vitek Vanecek has also been excellent but his two losses to the Sabres and Bruins gave Sammy the chance to make the cut on this list. But that doesn’t mean Vanecek hasn’t been stellar who is one of Washington’s best rookie goaltenders. Vanecek’s record is 17-9-3 with a 2.77 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.
#2 Alex Ovechkin
Alex Ovechkin is a man on a mission and needs one more goal to tie for fifth in the league all time in goal scoring. So far this month, the great eight has heated up with six goals and six assists for 12 points in 11 games. There’s still four games left in the month of April and more chances for Ovechkin to climb up the ladder.
This season Ovechkin has 24 goals and 18 assists for 42 points. In a 56 game season, it is still a good pace and it is likely he can reach another 30 goal season at least. There hasn’t been a season in his career where he’s scored under 30 goals.
Ovechkin’s 24 goals are tied for third in the league in scoring this season. It is a three way tie between Ovechkin, Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins, and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers. Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche has 26 goals while Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs leads the league in goals with 33.
Ovechkin has some big games coming up and it will be those games where we could see the great eight playing at his best. There’s also that contract that will expire at the end of the season. Nobody knows what the future will hold for Ovi but here’s hoping they can get a deal done.
#1 Anthony Mantha
On trade deadline day the Caps made the biggest splash by trading away Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Anthony Mantha. I’ll admit I was wrong about this trade. I didn’t like it at first but four games later, I’ve been proven wrong and I couldn’t be happier.
Mantha is a big dude, listed as six foot five and 234 pounds. He’s got a hard shot and a physical frame that fits perfectly with this big, physical Capitals team. Mantha has a goal in each of his first four games with the Captials, making him the first player in franchise history to accomplish this feat.
Manta has skated on the second line with T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom. When the Caps traded for him, he had to leave behind all that he had in Detroit including a new house. Despite the tough adjustment, he felt good that he felt wanted in Washington.
Mantha told Samantha Pell of The Washington Post (subscription required):
“Washington came to get me so their expectations are probably high also like mine, so I will try to do my best this year. It is just fun to think of the other side of the trade — that they really wanted me and now I’m here.”
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Those are our top 3 stars from the month of April so far. Who are your top 3 stars of the month? Let us know in the comments.