Yahoo Sports State Of The Capitals: How D.C. Got To The Top Of The NHL Standings With A Fair Retool & New Philosophy, What Work Still Has To Be Done
WASHINGTON — As the Washington Capitals head on a lengthy road trip up North, they find themselves in a very, very good spot sitting atop the NHL standings. But the work's not done, and they're not satisfied.
Not yet.
Washington has managed points in 10 consecutive games and is currently on a four-game winning streak. Though the victories haven't always been pretty, and though there have been some disappointing defeats, the Capitals have found a way to get the job done to at least leave the building with something at the end of the night.
"No matter what type of game it is, we found a way," Tom Wilson said, adding. "There's some games where we have a lot of goals and we have some cushion, and there's games where it's tight, we give them a little bit of life there, but the kind of squash it and have a good answer."
For Washington, the biggest point of success has stemmed from the team doing things the right way. It all started with a fair and strong retool on the fly over the summer, where the team brought in Pierre-Luc Dubois, Jakob Chychrun, Logan Thompson and more.
Dubois (28 points) and Chychrun (25 points) lead the Capitals in scoring over the last 32 games, and Thompson has boasted a .984 save percentage with two shutouts over the last three starts that made him the NHL's First Star of the Week.
"A lot of the new guys came in this year and complemented that, and that's the first thing, you come in, you're confident in your group. Obviously, you got to go out there and play and execute, but coming into the games as a group, playing for each other is the most important thing in my mind. Seems like we have that."
Then, coach Spencer Carbery transformed his group, which barely snuck into the postseason last year, into a headstrong group that can adapt to any type of style.
"We've had confidence all year and just try to stay even-keeled. When we weren't playing our best, we just tried to stick with it... this group's just resilient and sticks together," Jakob Chychrun explained. "(We try) to get out fo a little bit of — I don't want to say slump because we're finding ways to get points — but when we're not playing our best, we find a way out of it."
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Young players like Aliaksei Protas have become top contributors, Alex Ovechkin's still scoring goals at 39 and the Capitals are playing for one another and bringing their top game night after night.
In turn, the expectations throughout the room are high, and Washington's renewed sense of identity has made it a legitimate contender.
"There has to be kind of an expectation every night that we're going to win, that we come in on home ice, that we're going to win, and when we go on the road, we have a feeling that we're going to win. That's a culture that's been built," Wilson said.
"A lot of people sleep on this team," Thompson added.
That said, though, the team isn't getting ahead of itself; it knows that of late, there have been some struggles, including 5-on-5 offense, that need to get worked out, and that it's still a long way from the playoffs.
Still, there's not a better spot to be in at the end of the day.
"There's a lot of hockey left; it's cliché, but it's true. We've been around, this group's been around, a lot of experience," Wilson said. "We want to be confident, playing really well going into the important time of year. It's very early to be standing-watching, but I guess it's nice."
