27 – The Capitals‘ goal differential (all situations) in the third period so far this season, with 72 goals-for and 45 goals-against in the final frame of regulation. That’s tops in the League (as is their goals-for total), nine better than second-place Dallas, and also marks the best goal differential for any team in any period.
Next on that list? The Caps again, with a plus-23 differential in the second period.
Those are the second- and third-best single-period differentials for the Caps in the Alex Ovechkin Era (the 2009-10 squad posted a monstrous plus-45 third period differential), and are a big part of why the team has yet to lose in regulation when taking a lead into the locker room after 20 minutes (they’re 18-0-0 when leading after one, 31-0-1 after two).