By Olympics, Caps will have played 33 of their 41 road games
Having completed 51 regular season games, which is approximately 62% of the NHL’s calendar year, with a winning percentage of .706, the Washington Capitals have put themselves in terrific position to not only cruise into the playoffs, but also to be recognized as perhaps the greatest Washington Capitals team in franchise history.
The Capitals have a record of 33-12-4-2, having obtained 72 out of a possible 102 points thus far, and a lot of that has to do with how the schedule has unfolded for the Capitals.
Although the Caps have not had the easiest schedule to date, having played 27 games on the road to only 24 at the Verizon Center, they are set to have a pretty sweet ride heading into the post-season.
19 Crazy Nights
No, it is not some weird extended version of Chanukah, but rather the Capitals busy schedule heading into the mandatory Olympic vacation period.
Washington will play 11 games in the next 19 days before wrapping things up and sending a boatload of its players to the Vancouver Olympics.
That is a lot of hockey in 19 days.
And the schedule is once again split in a fashion which will see the Capitals play 6 games on the road and 5 at home. Interestingly enough, keeping with the trend that has seen Washington play approximately 53% of their games on the road on a regular basis so far.
When all is said and done by the Olympic break, the Caps will have played a total of 33 road games, which is 4 more games than they will have played at home.
All of this spells good news for the Caps and their fans as the reality of the harsh schedule of travelling slightly more often than normal, will turn into an extended vacation upon return from the break as Washington will play 12 of their final 20 games at home at the Verizon Center and won’t have to travel further west than Ohio while the majority of the road trips will consist of divisional games in Carolina and Florida.
It’s not as if the schedule has been completely unkind to the Capitals.
Their longest road trip to date has lasted only 4 games. Not brutal at all.
But the significance of getting slightly more road games out of the way before the trade deadline can only spell good things for the Caps.
Washington boasts an insane home record of 18-3-3, totalling 39 points out of a possible 48…that’s a winning % of 81% on home ice. Incredible.
It must also be noted how favourable the Capitals upcoming matchups will be.
In the next 11 games, Washington will face a total of 7 “bubble teams”, 3 playoff teams and 1 non-contender.
It’s tough to find an opponent who is actually doing better than the Capitals in the standings, but not having to face teams in top 4 of either Conference too often, only makes the job easier on the Caps.
Here is the breakdown of the Caps schedule heading into the Olympic Break:
Date | Opponent | Playoff Team/Bubble Team/Out | Caps +/-(have more pts than)
26/01/10: @ Islanders – bubble, +18(Caps have 18 more pts than Islanders)
27/01/10: Vs Ducks – bubble, +17
29/01/10: Vs Panthers – bubble, +19
31/01/10: Vs Lightning, bubble, +20
02/02/10: @ Bruins, playoff, + 18
04/02/10: @ Rangers, bubble, + 17
05/02/10: Vs Thrashers, bubble, +20
07/02/10: Vs Penguins, playoff, + 7
10/02/10: @ Canadiens, bubble, + 17
11/02/10: @ Senators, playoff, + 12
13/02/10: @ Blues, out, + 20
- As you can see, of the Capitals next 11 games, only the Penguins are in their class.
The Capitals have a winning percentage on the road of .611 which translates into their current record of 15-9-3 when outside of the cozy confines of the Verizon Center.
Following the Olympics, Washington will then get to play 12 of their final 20 games at home, including a 5 game homestand and a 4 game road trip, before concluding the season with 4 of their final 6 games at home.
With many teams set to face the exact opposite type of schedule heading down the home-stretch, the Caps couldn’t ask for a better way to round out the season, but before they get that chance, they will be tested with a hockey game every 41 and a half hours for the next 19 days.
A test that will ultimately determine how easy things will be for the Caps heading into the NHL’s second season this Spring.
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