46.2% – The Capitals’ Shot Attempts Percentage (SAT), which is currently ranked 24th in the League. That number drops down significantly when the team is ahead, dipping to 38.6% – in other words, they’re already seeing the ice tilt when it comes to attempts on or towards the net, and it tilts even further against them when they take a lead.
How are they staying relatively afloat in the standings so far, and in fact scoring at a high rate? Well, just turn your attention to ye olde shooting percentage, which is the highest in the League at five-on-five – a stout 14.8%.
None of this is ideal from a predictive standpoint, of course. There are only so many times that you can be out-attempted and still come away victorious; one need only look at Saturday night’s results to see that eventually it’s going to bite you.
For some context, the team finished last season with a shooting percentage at evens of 9.2%, which was tied for the highest in the League, but a fourth-best SAT% of 51.8%. So… there’s some work to be done yet.