Yahoo Sports This Year's Capitals Are Just Different. Here's Their Message For Critics, Rest Of The League: 'We're Here To Play & Not Backing Down'
WASHINGTON — A couple of days before the start of the season, sitting on top of a table in the media workroom at Capital One Arena, Dylan Strome smiled as he was reminded of what the critics had to say about him and his new-look Washington Capitals this season: an offseason of change won't make a difference.
"People aren't expecting us to do much, and I think it's an okay spot to be... I think we're okay with the spot we're in, and I guess time will tell," Strome said ahead of the start of the season.
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Eight games later, they're 6-2 and showing they're the real deal, a force that the rest of the league needs to be looking out for, and Tuesday's 5-3 win over the high-flying New York Rangers was just further proof of that.
Related: Takeaways: Ovechkin, Protas Power New-Look Capitals Past Rangers As D.C. Continues To Surge
Washington, who could barely score last season as two goals against was more or less a kiss of death for the team, has managed at least three goals in all but one game this season and is averaging the sixth-most in the NHL (3.88).
Not only that, but these Capitals, unlike last year, can hang with the top teams in the league.
For example, Washington held the Rangers, who made quick work of D.C. just six months ago in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, to just 19 shots while managing 46 shots of their own for the first time in 684 days. The last time they'd managed that many chances was back during the 2022-23 season, 141 games ago.
"We accept the challenge," captain Alex Ovechkin, who has four goals through eight games, said. "This group of guys try to play hard, try to play simple, and you can see result."
Washington manages the 10th-most shots per game on average (31.1), and its 58.9 expected goals-for percentage at 5-on-5 is the second-best in the league behind only the Carolina Hurricanes (61.49).
It's not just a fluke; Pierre-Luc Dubois, who was brought in for Darcy Kuemper this summer, has been a big part of that success as he's helped transform the top-6. Aliaksei Protas has also elevated his game to a new level to produce with Strome and Ovechkin on the top line, and the fourth line has been humming as well.
Defensively, the Capitals are a new team thanks in large part to Jakob Chychrun and company, as several defensemen are stepping up to protect Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson.
Washington allows just 25.1 shots per game, the least amount in the league, and the penalty kill (81.5) is the 11th-best in the NHL to boot as D.C. manages to be a threat even while shorthanded.
It's still early, but the Capitals' strong starts have them boasting the best points percentage in the Eastern Conference and silencing critics as Spencer Carbery continues pushing the group to new heights.
That being said, Washington's impressive play isn't just a hot streak; it's a statement.
"We're here to play and we're not backing down from anyone," Connor McMichael, who is averaging over a point per game, said.
