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Top 3 key Washington Capitals to watch against Vegas Golden Knights

Sunday night hockey in Vegas is coming up. Here are the top 3 Washington Capitals to watch in this tilt

By Michael Marzzacco |
Connor McMichael, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Connor McMichael, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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On Sunday night at 8 p.m. on the east coast and 5 p.m. pacific time, the Washington Capitals will take on the Vegas Golden Knights in a rematch of the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals. You can catch the game on Monumental Sports Network.

Here are the top 3 key Caps players to watch in this epic clash:

#3 Connor McMichael

Connor McMichael notched two goals on Friday night which marked his fourth multi goal game of the season. His second goal of the night stood as the game winner on Friday night over the Colorado Avlanche to kick off the three game road trip.

Through games played Nov. 15, Connor McMichael's 12 goals not only lead the Caps but also rank tied for second in the NHL. His 11 goals at even strength and five on five lead the NHL. His 12 goals are tied for the seventh most through the first 16 games of a season in franchise history.

To put that in perspective, Alex Ovechkin has done this five times in his illustrious career. Peter Bondra did it once. And so did Alexander Semin.

But we can't just talk about the best Connor Mc in hockey the whole time. Here are the other two.

Dylan Strome, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Dylan Strome, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

#2 Dylan Strome

Dylan Strome ranks tied for fourth in the NHL in assists with 19 and tied for eighth in points with 24 through games played Nov. 15. His 24 points are tied for the third most through the first 16 games in franchise history. Dating back to Feb. 5, the end of the 2024 NHL All Star break, Strome has recorded 47 assists in his last 51 games. The only centers with more assists in that span are Connor McDavid (66 in 47) and Nathan MacKinnon (62 in 51), per Mike Vogel of WashCaps.com.

In 14 of Washington's 16 games this season, Strome has recorded at least one point. His 67 points last season with 27 goals and 40 assists led the Capitals and marked a career high. He didn't reach the 24 point mark last season until his 38th game on Jan. 7.

Strome recorded his 200th assist on Nov. 6 and three nights later in St. Louis tallied his 98th, 99th, and 100th assists at a Capital in their route over the Blues. With 100 assists in his first 177 games with Washington, Strome became the eighth fastest player to reach the 100 assist mark with the Caps. He has also assisted on all 10 of Alex Ovechkin's goals this season.

Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

#1 Alex Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin is proving doubters wrong at 39 years old in his 20th season in the league and the city of DC couldn't be happier. He's also been producing on the top line.

In their overtime loss on Nov. 13 to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the line of Ovechkin, Dylan Strome, and Aliaksei Protas accounted for two of their three goals in the contest. The Caps have outscored the opposition 15-5 at five on five on the ice this season, per Natural Stat Trick.

Ovechkin, Strome, and Protas' combined 15 goals for are tied for the most by a forward line in the NHL, joined by Vegas' Ivan Barbashev, Jack Eichel, and Mark Stone (15 goals for, eight goals against), while their +10 on ice goal differential is the second highest in the league per MoneyPuck.com.

With an assist in Friday night's win over the Colorado Avalanche, Ovi joined Gordie Howe as the second player age 39 or older to record 20 points in the first 16 games of a season per NHL Stats. Ovechkin required the second fewest games in his career to reach double digits in both goals and assists. He's also scored eight goals in his last nine games.

In all Ovechkin has scored 33 goals in his last 52 games dating back to Jan. 27 which is an average of 0.63 goals per game. That's tied for the fourth most in the NHL in that span.

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