We’re currently 9 games into the NHL season and the Caps are one of only two teams who have yet to lose a regulation game. They have the second highest points percentage in the NHL, and they’ve seen their playoff odds rise from around 50% to 70%:
Frankly it’s hard to tell if the Caps are any good, and their underlying stats don’t exactly support their current results. That said, they’ve just finished a four-game stretch with four of their best players on the COVID list, and been without Lars Eller, Justin Schultz, Nicklas Backstrom, and Tom Wilson for various stretches. They went 3-0-1 during that stretch, and added another win against Boston on Friday.
Because the results in the standings and on TV are never the full story, we’re going to do an occasional look into the Caps underlying stats to see what they say about the team’s play. Let’s dive in: