Overall the Washington Capitals made the playoffs and you can look at that side of the spectrum as a success given the adversity the team was dealt with throughout the season. Still after grading the coaching it’s time to continue our series by grading the offense. This is an easy grade every year, except this one.
Let’s start with the playoffs. In all the Caps scored a total of seven goals as a team while allowing 15 in the four game sweep of the New York Rangers. You don’t have to know much to know that doesn’t get the job done when the games really count.
In the regular season the Caps finished 28th in scoring with 216 team goals. The four teams behind them all missed the big dance: Seattle Kraken, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks. That 216 goals scored is an average of 2.63 goals per game.
On the power play the Caps started out near the bottom of the league but finished the regualr season right in the middle. Of course in the playoffs they didn’t score at all on the man advantage so we’ll just forget those power plays even happened. But in the reuglar season the Caps finished with a power play percentage of 20.6 percent which is good for 18th in the league.
Dylan Strome was the best on offense for the Caps throughout the season as he finished with a career high 27 goals and 40 assists for 67 points. Alex Ovechkin, thanks to riding a camel from Dubai, led the Caps in goals once again with 31 which is a career low for him in an 82 game season but the most among players his age. The great eight turns 39 in September as the chase continues.
Ovechkin also added 34 assists for 65 points. John Carlson added 52 points with 10 goals and 42 assists and those 42 assists led the Caps this season. Tom Wilson added 18 goals and 17 assists for 35 points. Connor McMichael, who’s an RFA, scored 18 goals and 17 assists for 35 points.
Grade D+: Sorry Caps fans but I have to give the offense a below average because of the -37 goal differential and the power play. But they didn’t totally mess up thanks to making the playoffs despite the lack of scoring goals.
