Yahoo Sports 17 Things: Strome Quietly Rising Up NHL Ranks, How Ovechkin's Scoring So Much, What To Make Of Dubois & Why This Year's Capitals Are Special
BETHESDA, M.D. — It's now 14 games into the 2024-25 regular season, and there's a big enough sample size to know now that this start for the Washington Capitals is the real deal.
Washington is 10-4, putting the team in a tie for second in the Metropolitan Division. It was a busy past week for D.C., as the team's play took a bit of a step back, but ultimately, got back on track with a dominant 8-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
Not only is head coach Spencer Carbery leading the charge, but Alex Ovechkin can't stop scoring and Dylan Strome, all the while, is rising up the NHL ranks as one of the top forwards to open the season.
Here are 17 things to consider about the team as we enter another week with a Capitals team that's showing its worth.
17 Things
1. Give Dylan Strome all the credit. The 27-year-old, who the Chicago Blackhawks let walk into free agency three years ago, is hitting his stride at a crucial time for Washington and has 22 points in 14 games. He has assisted on all 10 of Alex Ovechkin's goals and is serving as the catalyst driving that wildly successful top line.
Strome's 14 points at 5-on-5 are tied for the second-most among all NHL forwards, and he also ranks second in assists (18) and tied for fifth in overall scoring (22). He's also winning 53.85 percent of his face-offs.
It's clear to see that this has become a home for him, and he deserves a lot of credit for playing a vital role in powering this Capitals team so far this year. He's on pace for 128 points, too.
2. Strome also told me last week that he's looked up to Sidney Crosby quite a bit. From the way he conducts himself off the ice to his play on the ice, he served as a role model for the Capitals' center, which speaks volumes.
3. Now, let's look at Alex Ovechkin, who is now 32 goals away from Wayne Gretzky's all-time record. He's shooting the puck often, with 50 shots through 14 games (97th percentile league-wide), and it's going in for him, as his shooting percentage of 20 is the highest of his career to open the season. For reference, over the same period last year (through Nov. 10, 2023), he was shooting at 4.17 percent. There's just a notable jump in his step and effort that's undeniable, and he's figured out what he needs to do to keep scoring.
Not only is he moving his feet, but his shots are still hard as ever, with his top shot speed clocking in at 94.98 miles per hour and his average shot speed coming in at 80.64 (99th percentile). He's shooting from both sides of the ice and getting to different areas, and though he's finding a lot of success in his office, five of his goals have also come from high-danger areas right around the net.
It's a rejuvenated Ovechkin, who is putting on a show at age 39 and truly showing that age is just a number.
4. I also credit his success to the custom sticks he switched to; over the summer, he said that CCM had stopped producing his usual specs on the Ribcor Trigger ASY, and made the switch. Having the right tools for your craft is vital, and I truly believe there's a correlation since his numbers have gone nowhere but up since he made the switch last spring.
5. Ovechkin isn't taking all the credit for his success, though, as he often shouts out not just Strome, but right winger Aliaksei Protas; and rightfully so. Washington has always been high on Protas, but he's delivering this season with a standout performance.
Protas is moving the puck well, getting to the high-danger areas and using his 6-foot-6 frame to his advantage. He's producing at nearly a point-per-game pace, and he told The Hockey News that a lot of his success isn't necessarily from just working on his game, but changing his mentality.
"You have to deliver," Protas said regarding his promotion to the top line.
6. It also helps that, after their second game together, Ovechkin held a film session with Strome and Protas to see how they could be more dangerous. They've averaged over a goal per game since then.
7. You can't mention thriving young players without talking about Connor McMichael. Over the last couple of seasons, some wondered if third-line center was his ceiling; he's blown those expectations to bits this season.
McMichael's on an absolute tear with 10 goals and six assists for 16 points through 14 games. Like Ovechkin, he's on pace for 58 goals, and he's showing that he can be a top contributor. Just as his captain does, he points out that the play of linemates Pierre-Luc Dubois and Tom Wilson has made him stronger, but it's easy to see the strides he's made.
The 23-year-old is oozing confidence shift after shift. He's faster and stronger, able to get to those high-danger areas and shooting the puck extremely well. Expect him to continue to prove he's a key future member of this core.
8. Speaking of the second line, Dubois' numbers are not at all reflective of his play. The Capitals' newest center just can't get bounces to drop for him, and though he has just one goal through 14 games, he's playing a vital role and doing just what Washington wanted him to do.
Dubois' play, though it doesn't always show up on the scoresheet, has been impressive. He's using his size to his advantage, making smart passes and plays and taking good care of the puck. The 26-year-old is able to enter the zone and start a rush, and he has three assists in his last five games.
That said, he's just snakebitten when it comes to scoring right now; his expected goals in all situations are at -4.7, ranking last in the league, per JFresh. Something will give at some point, though; now, it's just about patience.
9. On to new additions and how they've made a positive impact; look no further than the blue line. Both Jakob Chychrun and Matt Roy returned from injuries this week as D.C. got its first real look at its blue line, and it has exceeded expectations.
As mentioned, Chychrun is a force when it comes to joining the rush and moving the puck up ice. Roy, meanwhile, is a quiet guy (he admits as much with a laugh) but plays a huge shutdown role and does so many little things to contribute.
Locking up Chychrun needs to become a priority, as he and Roy will lead the future core going forward.
10. Another defenseman who's impressed: Rasmus Sandin. He has goals in back-to-back games, and he's really coming into his own with more speed and finesse this season.
11. In the net, Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren continue to alternate, as head coach Spencer Carbery insists that his preference to start is to play both goaltenders. There's no denying, though, that Thompson has been dominant to open his Captials tenure. His seven-game winning streak to start is a franchise record as he remains undefeated, and he has a .948 save percentage in his last three starts.
Playing both netminders keeps them fresh, and also gives the team two strong options. One has to wonder, though, if Thompson's standout play — he also ranks 12th in goals saved above expected — will have him taking over the crease sooner rather than later.
12. Carbery is my early pick for the Jack Adams — no, the PHWA does not vote on it. If it did, though, I'm certain he'd get a good amount of votes. His energy is contagious, and the players are buying into it and love playing for him.
13. I also respect that he holds himself accountable, as he did with the whole Sonny Milano situation as he explained his choice to keep him in the lineup after not giving him a fair amount of ice time to really show what he could do. It takes a lot for a coach to admit that, and he's often honest and transparent, which is exactly what you want to see from a bench boss.
14. Milano is on the injured reserve as he recovers from an upper-body ailment, though I imagine it'll be hard for him to get back into the lineup when he is ready with Jakub Vrana going on a four-game point streak and showcasing his speed and shot over the last few games he's gotten back in the mix.
15. With Milano on the IR, Washington recalled Mike Sgarbossa from the AHL's Hershey Bears. Sgarbossa was apparently sent back down on Sunday, per the transaction site, but it's unclear if it was just a paper move. Still, Sgarbossa's earned NHL time and has been deserving of each chance, and he shined with a multi-point outing while drawing in for Hendrix Lapierre on Saturday against St. Louis.
16. Dressing Sgarbossa over Lapierre can be a difficult choice, but Carbery wants to see Lapierre get back to the style of play that made him such a difference-maker last year, and what better way to do that than lighting a fire under him and rewarding a guy like Sgarbossa with more opportunity?
17. Looking at the lineup as a whole, though, this team is special; the players love playing for one another, there's a new culture and attitude and it's translating on and off the ice.
Stats-wise, D..C is thriving. The team is averaging the third-most goals per game (4.21 percent), and its 87 percent success rate on the penalty kill is the fourth-best in the league. Washington also ranks eighth in goals allowed per game (2.86).
The only thing that needs fixing is the power play, though it finally broke through as it went 2-for-2 against the Blues after a long 2-for-40 stretch.
When asked what the difference was for the power play postgame, Ovechkin grinned.
"We scored," he laughed.
But in reality, it's all about getting the open space and getting the puck on net, and then being able to recover, which wasn't something that worked well for the team over that last stretch.
