5 – Number of days remaining until the start of the Capitals’ 2022-23 season. But it’s also…
…the number of shootout wins for the Caps last season, which was tied for the second-most in the League (with Minnesota, Dallas, and Edmonton) and one behind Chicago for top spot. It also marked the third-most shootout wins for the team since the shootout was first introduced back in 2005-06, and the most they’ve had in a season since 2014-15.
Surprisingly, the shootout victories were led by Alex Ovechkin, who scored on three of his five attempts (60%) – tied for his third-highest shootout goal total, and just the fifth time in his 17 seasons that he’s been at/above 50% in the shootout. Noted shootout specialist T.J. Oshie finished with two goals on four attempts, tied with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Daniel Sprong for second-most goals overall, while Anthony Mantha and John Carlson also checked in with a shootout goal apiece.