“Lighting the Lamp” is a WTOP monthly feature focused on the Washington Capitals. Take a look back at the season-opening article if you missed it.
Don’t look now, but in the time it takes to read this there may be a shakeup to the standings in the volatile Metropolitan Division.
After Sunday’s games, only seven points separated first from last place, and the Washington Capitals have seen both extremes over its first 26 games of the season.
The Caps are 15-9-2 and ended the month with seven wins in eight games to surge up the standings. They begin December two points behind Carolina for the division lead, and after Sunday’s 4-1 win over the New York Islanders, find themselves in the No. 3 seed.
Rankings: The team’s 3.38 goals per game rank seventh in the NHL, while their 2.58 goals against averages ranks second in the league. The power play (15.6%) is 26th and the penalty kill (71.8%) is 29th.
Iceman of the Month: Alex Ovechkin caught fire, scoring ten goals with eight assists in 15 games. Ovi reached the 900-goal plateau on Nov. 15.
Hot Sticks & Cold Pads: Tom Wilson tallied nine goals with eight assists last month, while Jakob Chychrun scored seven goals to go with nine assists. Both players posted career highs in goals last season, and both are on pace to pass those marks this year. Logan Thompson went 6-3-1 with a saves percentage of .902 and a goals against average of 2.76.
Ovi-Odometer: Ovechkin’s ten goals in November give him 12 for the season and 909 for his career. His current pace has Ovi finishing with 38 for the season, putting him at 936 at the end of the year. If you add Wayne Gretzky’s WHA & NHL totals, the Great One has 940 goals between the two leagues.
Game to Watch: Thursday, Dec. 11 brings Carolina to Capital One Arena. The Hurricanes currently lead the Metropolitan Division and are less than seven months removed from eliminating the Caps from the playoffs. Even the regular-season showdowns between the two teams get rather salty. This game won’t mean everything but a good Washington showing will mean something in anticipation of another playoff meeting.
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