As the Caps make their final push for a place in the postseason, here are a handful of numbers to ponder…
10 – Number of different Caps with a game-winning goal since February 9, tied for most in the League (Rangers, Predators, Panthers). That list includes Beck Malenstyn, Michael Sgarbossa, Aliaksei Protas and others, with Alex Ovechkin, Dylan Strome and John Carlson leading the way with two apiece. Game-winning goals are a somewhat dubious stat, to be sure, but the Caps have been getting contributions from everywhere during this run, with 18 different goal-scorers, and nary a goal-less forward who has played more than three games.
25:52 – John Carlson’s average time on ice per game since January 10, third-highest in the League (behind guys 10- and 4-plus years younger than Carlson). Why January 10? Because that was Carlson’s 34th birthday. Carlson, who has game-winners against Philly and Winnipeg this month and has assisted on all four Caps’ overtime goals this season, is the only skater in the League to be averaging more than three minutes on each special teams unit and 19 minutes at even strength since the All-Star Break (and that power-play TOI would be even higher if they’d just stop scoring so much!).
.932 – Charlie Lindgren’s save percentage while playing with a lead, highest among the 22 goalies who have 750 minutes when up a goal or more. Yes, that number got dinged a little last night. But Lindgren has been a brick wall when the Caps have needed him most. In Caps wins, Lindgren now has a .952 save percentage and a 1.47 goals against average. In March, Chuckie has gone 9-3-0/.921/2.28, which isn’t quite 2008 Cristobal Huet… but he may get there yet.
3 – Number of overtime goals for Dylan Strome this year, tied for the most in a season in franchise history (Alex Ovechkin three times, Mike Green), and the most since Ovechkin in 2017-18. The NHL record is five.
20 – Number of goals scored this season by Caps under the age of 23. Those goals belong to Hendrix Lapierre (8), Connor McMichael (7 scored before he turned 23 on January 15), Aliaksei Protas (3 scored before he turned 23 on January 6) and Ivan Miroschnichenko (2). A season ago, that total was four, all Protas. This year’s Caps also have 26 goals scored by players over the age of 38…