16 – Number of games missed by John Carlson over the last six seasons, dating back to the start of 2017-18. No one on the team has played more games than Carlson over that span, with the stalwart blueliner having appeared in 391 of the 407 Caps games overall. The six games he missed earlier this season were already the most he’s missed in a single season going back to 2017.
Carlson has been an iron man of sorts for most of his career with the Capitals; in his first five seasons as a full-time NHLer, he appeared in every single game, a streak that ended in 2015-16 when a lower-body injury – later revealed to be a broken foot or ankle – kept him out for 26 games. The following season he missed 10 games with injuries, but since then has missed no more than four until this year.
Sadly it looks like he’ll be out for at least a little while longer, unavailable indefinitely after a scary incident in the Jets’ game when he was struck up high with a puck.
The team has not been great without him in recent years, posting a record of 5-8-3 in those 16 games (and going 1-3-2 this season, although those six games did take place during one of the worse stretches in general for the Caps this year).
Heal up quick, John!!