When the 2024-25 season began, no one in the hockey world seemed to be giving the Washington Capitals a second thought. Most of what I heard was that they reached for the players they acquired this summer in Pierre-Luc Dubois and Jakob Chychrun. That Ovi was washed up and would struggle to reach the all-time goals record of 894 held by the Great One, Wayne Gretzky. That they lucked into the playoffs last year and would have a hard time getting back this season. 24 games into the season, the Caps have proven them all wrong.
Alex Ovechkin started the season scoring 15 goals in the first 25 games, the best start to his career, before he went down with a fractured fibula. DuBois has been playing really good hockey, the kind that may not show up on the score sheet but has not gone unnoticed by his coach and teammates, hopefully putting an end to the talk that he is a malcontent. Jakob Chychrun has stepped up and become a vital component to a team that now sits tied atop the Metro Division with 36 points, tied for second best point total in the league. (It’s important to note that the Caps are tied with the Devils, who have played three more games than the Caps at this point.) Suddenly, the talk is about how well the Caps are playing, and how, despite his injury, Ovi has a chance to pass Gretzky THIS SEASON. A lot of the credit goes to bench boss Spencer Carberry, who has his guys prepared, playing loose and having fun. One only has to watch one of the raucous post-game locker room speeches to see that Carberry has his team focused, having fun, and playing for each other.
More importantly, the Capitals, after losing the first two games with the Great Eight, have shown that they can win without their captain, which suggests this team has a bright future. The Caps haven’t played much without Ovechkin during his career, with their record without him is hovering around .500. I thought they would struggle without him initially, but since those two losses immediately after the injury, the boys on F Street are playing as well as anyone. Dylan Strome is tied for seventh in the league in points and Connor McMichael on a 46-goal pace and is leading the league in 5 on 5 goals. Bringing back Stanley Cup hero Lars Eller has stabilized the third line, and the team doesn’t ever seem to panic, having come from behind in three of their last four games to earn two points. They are proving they can be successful without Ovi in the lineup, which should put the rest of the league on notice. When Ovechkin comes back, they will be that more dangerous, all of which bodes well come playoff time.
It isn’t all sunshine and roses, however. The Capitals have given up four or more goals in their three of their last four games. They were able to come from behind and win those three games, but the defense and goaltending needs to improve if they want to sustain this kind of success all year. Carberry needs to address those lapses, which I’m not too worried about since the Washington coaching staff was just named the “Coaching Staff of the Month” by the NHL on Monday. Last night’s overtime loss to the Sharks showed that they have made some adjustments, giving up only one goal in regulation and Logan Thompson playing well between the pipes. It was a fun November but it’s a long season. A rough December can erase all this good will. But that’s why they play 82 games. Losing streaks happen. Star players get hurt. Scoring streaks end. Rough times come for everyone, and the Caps will be no exception. But at the quarter point of the season, it certainly seems that those who dismissed them before the season began were wrong. the way the team has played and the excitement and exuberance they have shown so far makes me think they can maintain this level of production and keep winning games.
Maybe the Capitals have just been lucky, with everything clicking from the start, the bounces going their way, and—besides Ovi’s injury—no drama to disrupt the flow. Maybe the inevitable losing streak is lurking just around the corner. But, the team’s brain trust led by GM Chris Patrick, at this point seemed to know what they were doing over the summer when they put this roster together. With their veteran and young players jelling and the coaching staff pushing the right buttons, the Caps sure look like they are set up to continue to have success and can contend this year and beyond.