The start to the 2025-26 season has been a rollercoaster one for the Washington Capitals. One year after winning the Metropolitan Division, the Capitals began the season with a loss at home to the Boston Bruins, 3-1, before winning seven of their next eight games.
They followed that by losing eight of their next 10 games, but now, Washington has climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference after the recent stretch that has seen them collect points on nearly a nightly basis. As we enter the second week of December, let's check in on the Capitals and where they stand.
Washington Capitals' 2025-26 season still looks like a Top 8 team in the East
Scoring goals has not really been an issue for the Capitals, as they have 103, which is the fourth most in the league, while they have allowed 60, which is a good plus-28 goal differential. The 75 goals allowed tie them for the second least with the Tampa Bay Lightning. That has been a big reason why they have vaulted to the top of the Metropolitan Division. On the flip side, Logan Thompson has been good, going 13-6-2 with a 1.96 goals against average with a .925 save percentage.
Offensively, Tom Wilson leads them with 17 goals and 32 points, and Alex Ovechkin has 14 goals and 15 assists. Jakob Chychurn had 11 goals and 14 assists, and John Carlson and Dylan Strome each have six goals and 17 assists. As usual, Washington's top players are stepping up offensively.
Can the Capitals hang around in a very crowded Eastern Conference?
Normally, American Thanksgiving is used as the first measuring stick for teams about their playoff chances, and I'm not sure we're going to be able to use that as a measuring stick this season. The Eastern Conference is so jammed that on any given night, you can go from a spot in the playoffs to a spot out. It's as jammed as it has been at this point in the season in some time.
At 18-9-3, Washington has 52 games left. They did lose Pierre-Luc Dubois to an injury, and he is expected to be out until March. Ryan Leonard is also out. As far as the division goes, the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, and Philadelphia Flyers are hot on their tails.
The playoffs are a long way off, but it underscores how little room there is for error. You can't clinch a playoff spot in the first couple of months of the season, but you can bury yourself out of one and into a deep hole. Continuing to get production from their top players and special teams success will go a long way in having success as we head to the midway point of the season.