On Frozen Blog

When I began watching the Washington Capitals in 2007 I never expected that I would see them break a franchise record for consecutive wins. In fact, quite honestly, when I arrived as a freshman at American University from Michigan I wasn’t sure I’d see any good hockey out of this Caps’ team while an undergraduate! Man was I wrong; it has been a great three years of hockey in D.C., and this historic win streak, coupled with my new media work covering hockey here, actually makes me appreciate more my decision to attend college in D.C.

It has been almost a month since the Capitals lost a game. Washington is playing some of the best hockey it has all year — solid to spectacular special teams, racking up the goals in bunches, playing solid defense, and in a few instances, as with last night in Boston, getting extraordinary goaltending when other facets of the team’s game were sub-par.

The offense is the identity of this team, but Jose Theodore’s play in 2010 should be acknowledged as a key reason why this streak has continued. Theo’s never surrendered more than three goals in a game during the streak. In fact, JT was the top performer in the first game of the streak, down in Sunrise, Fla., when in relief fashion he backstopped the Caps after falling behind 4-1 to the Panthers, and last night’s win over the Boston Bruins. Theodore’s play has been the resurgence Head Coach Bruce Boudreau has been looking for. Several times in the past ten games, Boudreau has mentioned how Theodore looks like the goalie that won the Vezina Trophy.

Of everyone on the team, the most consistent player has been, interestingly enough, Alexander Semin. Washington’s other Russian winger has been streaky this season, as in previous seasons, showing up on the scoresheets in clumps. But there is no precedent for his current 10-game point streak. He has been a negative skater just once during his hot streak and has had five multi-point games. If it hadn’t been for his two penalties in last night’s first period I’d have singled out his conspicuous increase in disciplined play as well.

Tom Poti’s play, too, I believe should be singled out. He skated a jaw-dropping +4 last night, and he’s easily been the Capitals’ best defenseman during the streak. It’s so interesting to think that he was signed by the Caps really to upgrade the team’s offensive footprint on the blueline — his reputation in the NHL was as more of an offensive guy — but it’s been his steady defensive play that’s characterized his tenure in D.C. What a terrific signing that was.

The Capitals have taken what looked like shaky special teams play heading in to the new year, particularly on the penalty kill, and turned them into one of the strongest and most reliable aspects of their game. Not only has their PK rate been off the charts but they’ve surged to the very top in the league in power play efficiency. The only two games Washington didn’t score on the man advantage was with the first game of the streak and last night’s game.

Another interesting note about the Caps making history: In the past two seasons we’ve seen the Caps’ Dads be witnesses to history while traveling with the team. They were in the arena when Mike Green broke the consecutive goal-scoring streak for a defenseman last year and they were in the TD Bank Garden last night. I say let’s invite the Dads for a road trip next June!

From my vantage, much of 2010′s success can be credited to the new man with the ‘C’ on his jersey. Of course a franchise record winning streak is a team effort, but it just doesn’t seem coincidental to me that Alex Ovechkin became captain shortly before it started. In fact, AO may be off to the best start ever for a captain. The team is currently 14-1 under his watch.

Now for a more detailed look at this historic streak. My OFB undergrad colleague Alex Perlmutter compiled some impressive stats about all this Caps’ winning:

• Alex Ovechkin enters his 372nd career game with 496 points and is on the verge of becoming the first active player and ninth player in NHL history to record 500 points in his first five seasons (joining Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Peter Stastny, Mike Bossy, Dale Hawerchuk, Bryan Trottier, Denis Savard and Jari Kurri).

• Semin’s is the longest active points streak in the league — he has 17 points (6g-11a) in the streak. Semin has 11 goals and 13 assists in his last 15 games.

• Jose Theodore has won eight straight games, topping his career best winning streak. It’s the longest winning streak for a Capitals goaltender since Cristobal Huet won nine in a row (2007-08).

• Washington is the only team in the NHL whose top six scorers are all under 30 years old. Every Capitals’ forward has scored in the team’s last eight games.

• The Caps lead the league in wins (38), points (82), home points percentage (.833), goals for (218), goal difference (+68), and have the longest winning streak since the 2007-2008 San Jose Sharks. Washington may lead their division by 25 points, but leading the Eastern Conference by 10 points is equally, if not more impressive.

• Washington’s 11-game winning streak has seen the Caps outscore opponents 54-22 (not including the goal awarded for winning that shootout). Also in the streak the Caps:

(1) they have been held to three goals just twice and allowed as many as three goals just three times;

(2) they have had power-play goals in all but two games in the streak;

(3) they have gotten goals from sixteen players – including every skater who has played all 10 games;

(4) they’ve received averages of at least a point per game from Alex Ovechkin (9g-12a), Alexander Semin (6g-11a), Nicklas Backstrom (5g-8a) and Mike Knuble (9g-3a);

(5) they have a 14.2% shooting percentage (meaning an .858 save percentage for opposing goalies);

(6) they’ve had goaltenders post a 1.95 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage.

This whole season, the Capitals have lost more than one game against the same team to only two clubs. They lost three games of the season series against New Jersey (1-2-1) and two (sort of) of the season series to Toronto (2-1-1).

It ought to be a fun day in the Big Apple for hockey fathers and sons.