Overreacting To The First Game Of The Washington Capitals Season

Overreactions, hot takes, instant analysis, strong opinions, whatever you want to call them we all seem to want to read or hear them. You can say you don’t like them all you want, if they weren’t popular they wouldn’t be around as much as they are. The Washington Capitals have just finished their first game of the season, lets overreact to their first game against the New York Rangers.

Vitek Vanecek Is The Obvious Number One

For whatever reason Vitek Vanecek was the guy who got the call to start the first game of the season for the Capitals. He stopped 23 of the 24 shots the Rangers threw his way. While he didn’t have to be the best player on the ice, he was still good.

He didn’t have to make many saves, and quite frankly he didn’t have to make very many tough saves. He was there on the rare occasion that Capitals needed him though. That’s something you can say about Vanecek that you might not be able to say about someone else who sometimes guards the Caps net.

With Vanecek being more reliable in his early career than his partner Ilya Samsonov, maybe it’s time to consider that he may just be the number one until he surrenders that role. Give Vanecek all of the games, and especially the biggest games until he proves he is not the guy.

Eat Your Heart Out 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens

The Washington Capitals scored three power play goals in six opportunities in the first game against the Rangers. Allow me to do the easy math for you guys, that equals 50%. I am hereby declaring the Washington Capitals will finish the season with the best power play percentage in NHL history.

The best power play in NHL history belongs to the Montreal Canadiens in the 1977-78 season where they scored on 31.9% of their opportunities. The Capitals right now are 19% ahead of that mark. Do you really expect the Caps to drop 19% in then next 81 games?

With guys like Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, who will return at some point and make this power play even better, Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson, T.J. Oshie, etc. who is ever going to stop this power play?

This is obviously the best power play in the history of the ‘chel, it’s not debatable.

Hendrix Lapierre The Obvious Calder Front Runner

Hendrix Lapierre scored a beauty of a goal in the first game of the 2021-22 season, the first game of his NHL career. He is now on pace for 82 goals this season, which would break the rookie record Teemu Selanne set in 1992-93 when he scored 76 goals. This will no doubt happen.

With him breaking a record that mean he needs (and will) win the Calder trophy for rookie of the year in the National Hockey League.

There is no need to look at other rookies in the NHL. Cole Caufield in Montreal, he has not shot at winning the Calder. Spencer Knight in Florida? Give me a break.  Name anybody else, I don’t care, we’ve seen what Lapierre has to offer. That is goals and impressive goals. He looked good, just give him the rookie of the year award already.

Ovechkin Will Break Gretzky’s Record This Season

Ovechkin scored two goals in the season opener, one on the power play, and one shorthanded if you can believe that. That puts Ovechkin on pace for 164 goals this season. He only needs 162 more goals to pass “The Great One” but on the pace he’s on “The Great Eight” will pass Gretzky before seasons end.

It will be close. It might even take all 82 games, assuming he can stay healthy for the entire season. But by seasons end, Capitals fans, and hockey fans around the world can celebrate the worlds greatest goal scorer.

Ovechkin also had two assists in the first game, meaning he’s on pace for about 328 points. The most points in an NHL season is 215, obviously set by Gretzky as well. So that record will also be demolished, but who cares really. It’s all about the goals, which Ovechkin will no doubt get in the coming months.

So there is your overreactions to the first game of the season. How many of these things will happen? Probably all of them, but don’t hold me to them. I might be slightly off. But it’s still fun to throw out a projection or two based on one game during the regular season.