106.6 – The Capitals’ combined penalty-kill and power-play percentages (also known as the Bowman Index) this year, tied with the Maple Leafs for tops in the League. Should that number hold up, it would be the second-highest of the Ovechkin era, trailing only last year’s 107.1.
After a sluggish start, the team’s power play has gradually improved over the course of the season and has been particularly red-hot of late, with four goals in the three games heading into the bye week and at least one power-play goal in 13 of their last 17 games. That has them up to 22.1% on the season – perhaps not the insanely high number we’ve grown accustomed to seeing, but still very strong and good enough for fourth-best in the NHL.
On the flip side, the penalty kill has been a strength for the Caps pretty much all season, operating at an efficiency rate of 84.5% (even with a few recent stumbles). Not only is that their third-highest PK% since 2005-06, but it also ranks third in the League this season… making them the only team to be top-five in both special teams categories.