NHL Power Rankings: Eastern Conference Taking Control

No. 6: Washington Capitals
Previous: 7th
Season record: 11-5-2
The Caps have shown a balanced effort no matter where they’ve played, sitting at 6-3-0 at home and 5-2-2 on the road. But unlike last season, they’re doing it almost entirely on the back of their goaltender instead of with help from the offense.
Alex Ovechkin isn’t leading the team in points and has just a one-goal lead in the scoring column, so that alone should tell you things aren’t perfect in D.C. That’s not to say they’re bad, of course. Nicklas Backstrom boasts 17 points in 18 games, while Ovechkin (13 points with nine goals) and T.J. Oshie (12 points with eight goals) are also assisting, along with Marcus Johansson (13 points).
Some better players like Evgeny Kuznetsov, Andre Burakovsky and Justin Williams are struggling to produce early. But goaltender Braden Holtby continues to be solid, drumming up a .927/1.99 statline.