With a 4-1 win last night at Verizon Center – sold out for the 40th consecutive game – the Caps’ pushed their home record to 20-3-3 (and 13-1-0 over the last 14 home dates). No team in the League has fewer home losses (regulation or otherwise), and the Caps have outscored opponents by an average score of 4.00 to 2.46 in front of their their sea of red.
A few more notable numbers on the Caps’ home-ice advantage:
- The Caps have the League’s second-best home power play and fifth-best home penalty kill. The penalty kill has only surrendered five goals on VC ice since November 20 and has killed 91.2% of its 57 shorthanded opportunities since then.
- The kid goalies have been unreal, with Michal Neuvirth going 6-1-0/1.72/.943 at home (and 6-0-0/1.50/.952 at Verizon since his first start of the season) and Semyon Varlamov posting a sparkling 7-0-0/1.49/.944 line. (Jose Theodore, on the other hand, has struggled at home, to the tune of 7-2-3/3.27/.895.)
- Alex Ovechkin has 16 goals and 24 assists in just 22 home games, meaning that if he didn’t play a single road game all season, he’d have enough tallies to lead or be tied for the lead in goals on five teams (Boston, Buffalo, Detroit, Minnesota, and St. Louis). AO is also plus-26 at home.
- The Caps have four players – Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin and Mike Knuble – who are already in double-digits for goals scored at home. The Rangers don’t have four players in double-digits in goals overall.
- Mike Green has 29 points at Verizon Center (six goals and 23 assists), which would rank in the top 20 in defenseman scoring on its own.
- David Steckel has the League’s best home faceoff winning percentage at 64.6%, which would be the best mark of any player since the lockout if it holds up.
The eye-popping stats go on and on, but with numbers like that, the Caps certainly seem to be well on their way… home sweet home.