Today's Noon Number: 99 - Number of days in which the Caps will play the 48 games that will comprise their 2013 schedule.

For all you hear about the "condensed" schedule, that's just three fewer days than they had for their final 48 games of the 2011-12 season, and that included a six-day break for the All-Star Game. The Caps will actually play two fewer games in February 2013 than they did in February 2012 (12 to 14) and the same number of games in March of each year (16). Further, while they'll play eight sets of back-to-back games in 2013, they had nine over their final 48 a season ago.

What was that about a condensed schedule?

Maybe just maybe George McPhee knows what he's talking about...

(h/t fat_daddyo)