11 – Number of games this postseason in which the Capitals have scored the first goal, most in the League so far. The Caps are currently 8-3 when opening the scoring (.727 win percentage, which is actually fourth among the remaining four playoff teams); they’ve also won two of the three games in which their opponent scored first.
Scoring first had been an issue for the team at times during the regular season, particularly early on, as they gave up the first goal in a whopping 14 of their first 20 games. By the end of the season they had evened things up a bit, picking up the first goal in 37 of the 82 games overall, but there’s no question that this has been an area of improvement since the playoffs have begun.