12 – Number of goals scored by the Caps in the five games in which both Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin were out of the lineup since Backstrom’s rookie season, including last night’s whitewash by the Sharks. The other four games all took place during the 2011-12 season, when Backstrom was recovering from a concussion and Ovechkin was serving a three-game suspension (plus one game for a lower-body injury).
The Caps are 1-4 all time when missing Backstrom and Ovechkin, and have been outscored 21-12 over that span (although last night was the first time they were shut out by the opposition).
It’s almost as if you missing your two best players makes a difference…