The Capitals aren’t just consistently winning — they’re consistently winning big.
For the eighth straight home game, the Capitals scored at least five goals. That, on top of the outstanding goaltending Washington has been getting from both Braden Holtby and Philipp Grubauer, earned the Capitals their ninth straight win at the Verizon Center.
Grubauer posted his third shutout of the season against the Los Angeles Kings with a 38-save performance in the Capitals’ 5-0 win. The 25-year-old goaltender has won seven of his last nine starts and has earned at least a point in 10 of his last 12 games.
In the tail end of a weekend back-to-back that started with a 3-2 road trip win over Montreal followed quickly by the nationally-televised matinee on Sunday, Grubauer’s effort was critical.
“It’s huge,” forward Marcus Johansson, who scored the game’s second goal, said of Grubauer’s performance. “He’s been playing well all year for us when he’s been out there. I mean, he’s been real solid. It’s awesome. Right from the start you could see he was in it. It’s a great feeling to have.”
The scoresheet appeared a bit lopsided, as the Capitals managed to record just 20 shots to Los Angeles’ 38. But coach Barry Trotz said the stats don’t tell the story of the game.
“They had a lot of shots, but if you look at the pure chances, we had pretty good chances,” Trotz said. “We had some chances that we missed on, but we had some really good looks at their goaltender tonight. I thought [the Kings] had a lot of zone time, but they didn’t have a lot of looks, quality looks. The shot totals can sometimes be deceptive.”
The Capitals received scoring contributions from all four lines. The first line scored a goal off a T.J. Oshie snipe that boomed off Kings’ goaltender Peter Budaj’s water bottle, exploding water everywhere. The second line contributed with Johansson’s goal and a Justin Williams goal. Both Lars Eller and Brett Connolly scored for the third line, and Tom Wilson, a fourth line player, added an assist on Connolly’s tally.
Those contributions have become synonymous with Capitals hockey of late.
“I think everybody, once they’re on the ice, they think they can score a goal right now,” Eller said. “It is coming easy for us right now, easier than at least maybe the first 20 games. We’re kicking on all cylinders. We’re having fun.”
The relentlessness of Washington’s offensive attack has fueled the recent blowouts. In the last eight home games, the Capitals have scored 43 goals and allowed only 11. It’s part of a killer instinct Trotz has tried to instill.
“It’s improving,” Trotz said of that instinct. “I think we’re a little more firm. They understand that [they cannot stop playing]. We just keep playing, keep coming, but have some patience to it. Just take care of the details.”
With the win, the Capitals earned their 78th point of the season. Through the first 53 games, that’s the second-highest point total, trailing only 2015-16, when the team managed to record 84. The 36 wins also ties the 2013-14 St. Louis Blues for the second-most wins through the first 53 games, which, again, trails only the 2015-16 team that won 40 games.
Washington added to its lead in the Metropolitan Division, where the Capitals are up seven points on the second-place Columbus Blue Jackets. The Capitals are also firmly ahead of the entire NHL with their point total, ahead of the Minnesota Wild by five points.
The Capitals continue their four-game home stretch against the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday at 7 p.m.
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