Caps’ goaltending has emerged as a major strength originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
No matter who’s been in net for the Capitals this month, they’ve gotten star-quality production. Darcy Kuemper pitched a shutout against the New York Rangers to raise Washington’s team save percentage for December to .930, second-best in the NHL over that span.
When Kuemper went down with an upper-body injury on Dec. 3, there was legitimate concern his absence could be the final straw that derailed the injury-depleted Capitals’ season. Instead, backup Charlie Lindgren bridged his teammate’s stint on Injured Reserve in impressive fashion, going 8-2 with a 2.02 goals against average and winning his first Star of the Week award.
Kuemper resumed his post in the crease Thursday and held the Ottawa Senators to two goals on 25 shots before coming out of the holiday break crisp against the Rangers. With both netminders playing at the top of their game, the Capitals have ripped off a 10-2-1 record in December that has vaulted them into the middle of the playoff mix.
Washington’s offense has certainly played a significant role in the team’s success. Nobody has scored more goals in December than the Capitals, who have 48 tallies including 37 at even strength. The power play has been effective. But the Capitals’ roster suddenly looks like one of the more well-rounded groups in the Metropolitan Division thanks to their improved goaltending.
For years, suspect play between the pipes was holding the Capitals back. They gave both Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek ample opportunities to grab onto the starting job, but neither was able to show enough consistency to run away with it. Rather than run that duo back a third time, GM Brian MacLellan cleaned house this offseason.
He opted not to extend a qualifying offer to Samsonov and traded Vanecek to the New Jersey Devils before signing Kuemper (five years, $26.25M) and Lindgren (three years, $3.3M) to replace them. While Samsonov, now with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vanecek got off to strong starts, they’ve each struggled of late.
Meanwhile, Kuemper and Lindgren have rounded into form. Once a major question mark on their roster, goaltending has become one of the Capitals’ biggest strengths. Their impressive play has developed into a clear strength even as Washington has lost several key players in front of them due to injury.
John Carlson landed on IR on Tuesday after being hit in the side of the head by a puck Thursday, joining Martin Fehervary (upper body), Dmitry Orlov and Alex Alexeyev as blue-line players to miss time during December. Erik Gustafsson sat out one game with a minor injury as well. Carlson and Fehervary were the Capitals’ top defenseman pairing on opening night.
The Capitals have still played well defensively even with all those injuries, but they have rolled out lines at times that hardly resemble their optimal lineups. They needed steady goaltending to weather those injuries and it’s done just that. When the Capitals score at least three goals this season, they’re 20-1-1.
