22.4 – The Capitals’ power-play rate since the start of the 2007-08 season, tops in the League over that span. Not surprisingly, that coincides with the arrival of Nicklas Backstrom in DC, as he’s proven to be elite when it comes to conducting play with the extra man – in fact, he’s second in power-play points since 2007 (335), trailing only his long-time partner in crime Alex Ovechkin (349) to make up the top one-two punch in the League.
So far this season the power play has continued to work at a heated clip. The Caps currently lead the League in goals (six) and are tied atop the standings with an (absolutely unsustainable but fun nonetheless) effectiveness rate of 50%, while Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and John Carlson are all among the League leaders in power-play points with four apiece through three games.