2017–18 Washington Capitals season
2017–18 Washington Capitals | |
---|---|
Stanley Cup champions | |
Eastern Conference champions | |
Metropolitan Division champions | |
Division | 1st Metropolitan |
Conference | 3rd Eastern |
2017–18 record | 49–26–7 |
Home record | 28–11–2 |
Road record | 21–15–5 |
Goals for | 259 |
Goals against | 239 |
Team information | |
General manager | Brian MacLellan |
Coach | Barry Trotz |
Captain | Alexander Ovechkin |
Alternate captains | Nicklas Backstrom Brooks Orpik |
Arena | Capital One Arena |
Average attendance | 18,774[1] |
Minor league affiliate(s) | Hershey Bears (AHL) South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Alexander Ovechkin (49) |
Assists | Evgeny Kuznetsov (56) |
Points | Alexander Ovechkin (87) |
Penalty minutes | Tom Wilson (187) |
Plus/minus | Matt Niskanen (+24) |
Wins | Braden Holtby (34) |
Goals against average | Philipp Grubauer (2.35) |
The 2017–18 Washington Capitals season was the 43rd season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974.[2] They played their home games at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. They were led by head coach Barry Trotz in his fourth season as coach of the Capitals. The Capitals won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, defeating the upstart Vegas Golden Knights, a first-year expansion team in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Capitals finished the regular season with 105 points, winning the Metropolitan Division for the third year in a row. Left winger and team captain Alexander Ovechkin secured his seventh Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, by leading the league with 49 goals.[3] Fellow Capitals teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov led the team in assists with 56.[4]
In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they lost the first two games of their first round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets before winning the next four games to advance to the Conference Semi-finals against their arch-rival, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion's Pittsburgh Penguins, who ended the Capitals' playoffs during each of the previous two years.[5][6] The Capitals defeated the Penguins in six games to advance the Eastern Conference Finals, their first trip to a conference championship series since 1998.[7] The Capitals defeated the top seeded Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games, after overcoming a 3–2 series deficit following a Game 5 loss for the first time in franchise history, with goaltender Braden Holtby posting shutouts in both Games 6 and 7 in the process, to earn their first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals since 1998, when they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings.[8][9] Making their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance for the first time in twenty years, the Capitals went up against the upstart Vegas Golden Knights and emerged victorious in five games to claim the franchise's inaugural Stanley Cup championship,[10][11] while becoming the 100th Stanley Cup champions since 1914. Team captain Alexander Ovechkin was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs for the first time in his career.[12]
Standings
[edit]Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | y – Washington Capitals | 82 | 49 | 26 | 7 | 46 | 259 | 239 | +20 | 105 |
2 | x – Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 47 | 29 | 6 | 45 | 272 | 250 | +22 | 100 |
3 | x – Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 42 | 26 | 14 | 40 | 251 | 243 | +8 | 98 |
4 | x – Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | 39 | 242 | 230 | +12 | 97 |
5 | x – New Jersey Devils | 82 | 44 | 29 | 9 | 39 | 248 | 244 | +4 | 97 |
6 | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 36 | 35 | 11 | 33 | 228 | 256 | −28 | 83 |
7 | New York Islanders | 82 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 32 | 264 | 296 | −32 | 80 |
8 | New York Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 31 | 231 | 268 | −37 | 77 |
Schedule and results
[edit]Preseason
[edit]The Capitals' preseason schedule was released on June 7, 2017.[14]
2017 preseason game log: 2–5–0 (Home: 0–3–0; Road: 2–2–0)
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Regular season
[edit]The team released its regular season schedule on June 22, 2017.[15]
2017–18 game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 5–6–1, 11 points (Home: 1–3–0; Road: 4–3–1)
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November: 9–5–0, 18 points (Home: 7–2–0; Road: 2–3–0)
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December: 10–2–2, 22 points (Home: 8–0–0; Road: 2–2–2)
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January: 6–2–2, 14 points (Home: 3–2–1; Road: 3–0–1)
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February: 6–6–2, 14 points (Home: 3–2–1; Road: 3–4–1)
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March: 10–4–0, 20 points (Home: 5–1–0; Road: 5–3–0)
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April: 3–1–0, 6 points (Home: 1–1–0; Road: 2–0–0)
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Win (2 Points) Loss (0 points) Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) |
Playoffs
[edit]The Capitals endured hardships during their first successful Stanley Cup run through 24 games, and simultaneously became the second Stanley Cup champion to trail at least once in all four playoff rounds (1990–91 Pittsburgh Penguins) and the fourth to drop the first two games of the first series at home (2001–02 Detroit Red Wings, 2005–06 Carolina Hurricanes, and 2010–11 Boston Bruins). This also makes such run the third-longest Stanley Cup run, tied with four other runs.[16]
2018 Stanley Cup playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Eastern Conference First Round vs. (WC1) Columbus Blue Jackets: Washington won 4–2
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Eastern Conference Second Round vs. (M2) Pittsburgh Penguins: Washington won 4–2
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Eastern Conference Finals vs. (A1) Tampa Bay Lightning: Washington won 4–3
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Stanley Cup Finals vs. (P1) Vegas Golden Knights: Washington won 4–1
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Win Loss |
Player statistics
[edit]Final Stats[17]
- Skaters
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- Goaltenders
Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Braden Holtby | 54 | 54 | 3,067:48 | 34 | 16 | 4 | 153 | 2.99 | 1,648 | .907 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Philipp Grubauer | 35 | 28 | 1,864:48 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 73 | 2.35 | 953 | .923 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Braden Holtby | 23 | 22 | 1385:45 | 16 | 7 | 50 | 2.16 | 639 | .922 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Philipp Grubauer | 2 | 2 | 105:23 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4.55 | 49 | .837 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Capitals. Statistics reflect time with the Capitals only.
‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Statistics reflect time with the Capitals only.
Transactions
[edit]The Capitals have been involved in the following transactions during the 2017–18 season.
Trades
[edit]Date | Details | Ref | |
---|---|---|---|
July 3, 2017 | To New Jersey Devils Marcus Johansson |
To Washington Capitals FLA 2nd-round pick in 2018 TOR 3rd-round pick in 2018 |
[18] |
February 9, 2018 | To New York Rangers John Albert Hubert Labrie |
To Washington Capitals Adam Chapie Joe Whitney |
[19] |
February 19, 2018 | To Chicago Blackhawks Conditional 3rd-round pick in 2018 |
To Washington Capitals Michal Kempny |
[20] |
February 21, 2018 | To Montreal Canadiens 5th-round draft pick in 2019 |
To Washington Capitals Jakub Jerabek |
[21] |
Free agents acquired[edit]
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Free agents lost[edit]
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Claimed via waivers[edit]
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Lost via waivers[edit]
|
Player signings
[edit]Date | Player | Contract terms (in U.S. dollars) |
Ref |
---|---|---|---|
June 22, 2017 | Christian Djoos | 2-year, $1.3 million | [44] |
June 23, 2017 | T. J. Oshie | 8-year, $46 million | [45] |
June 26, 2017 | Brett Connolly | 2-year, $3 million | [46] |
June 28, 2017 | Pheonix Copley | 2-year, $1.3 million | [47] |
June 29, 2017 | Chandler Stephenson | 2-year, $1.3 million | [48] |
July 2, 2017 | Evgeny Kuznetsov | 8-year, $62.4 million | [49] |
July 4, 2017 | Andre Burakovsky | 2-year, $6 million | [50] |
July 5, 2017 | Travis Boyd | 1-year, $650,000 | [51] |
July 6, 2017 | Philipp Grubauer | 1-year, $1.5 million | [52] |
July 14, 2017 | Liam O'Brien | 1-year, $650,000 | [53] |
February 10, 2018 | Lars Eller | 5-year, $17.5 million contract extension | [54] |
March 22, 2018 | Tobias Geisser | 3-year, $2.6 million entry-level contract | [55] |
March 23, 2018 | Shane Gersich | 2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract | [56] |
April 4, 2018 | Brian Pinho | 2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract | [57] |
May 2, 2018 | Axel Jonsson-Fjallby | 3-year, $2.58 million entry-level contract | [58] |
May 4, 2018 | Ilya Samsonov | 3-year, $4.425 million entry-level contract | [59] |
May 16, 2018 | Aaron Ness | 1-year, $650,000 contract extension | [60] |
May 18, 2018 | Tyler Lewington | 2-year, $1.35 million contract extension | [61] |
Draft picks
[edit]Below are the Washington Capitals' selections at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 23 and 24, 2017 at the United Center in Chicago.
Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 | 120 | Tobias Geisser | D | Switzerland | EVZ Academy (NLB) |
5 | 151 | Sebastian Walfridsson | D | Sweden | Modo Hockey (J20 SuperElit) |
6 | 182 | Benton Maass | D | United States | Elk River High School (USHS) |
7 | 213 | Kristian Roykas Marthinsen | LW | Norway | Almtuna IS (J20 SuperElit) |
References
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- ^ National Hockey League (2012). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2013. Triumph Books. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-60078-785-0.
- ^ Battaglino, Matt (April 9, 2018). "Ovechkin leads NHL in goals for seventh time". NHL.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ "2017-18 Washington Capitals Roster and Statistics". hockey-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
- ^ "WTOP | Caps beat Blue Jackets 6|3, advance to Eastern Conference Semi-finals". wtop.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "Capitals to face Penguins in NHL Playoffs for third consecutive year". NBC Sports Washington. April 23, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "Capitals beat Penguins in OT to advance to conference finals". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "Caps Going to Stanley Cup Final After Game 7 Shutout". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "4 reasons the Caps beat the Lightning to win the Eastern Conference". NBC Sports Washington. May 23, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "The Washington Capitals, After Years of Frustration, Win the Stanley Cup". The New York Times. June 7, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ Brown, Benjamin (June 8, 2018). "Washington Capitals beat Vegas Golden Knights to win Stanley Cup". Fox News. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "Ovechkin tops off first Cup with Conn Smythe". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "2017-2018 NHL Hockey Standings". NHL.com.
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- ^ "Capitals Announce 2017-18 Regular-Season Schedule". NHL.com. June 22, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ^ "List of Stanley Cup playoff runs, sorted by number of games". Hockey Reference. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Washington Capitals Stats - 2017-2018". NHL.com. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
- ^ "Caps Trade Johansson to New Jersey". NHL.com. July 3, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
- ^ "Capitals Acquire Adam Chapie and Joe Whitney from New York Rangers". NHL.com. February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
- ^ "Capitals Acquire Michal Kempny from Chicago Blackhawks". NHL.com. February 19, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Capitals Acquire Jakub Jerabek from Montreal Canadiens". NHL.com. February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^ "Capitals Sign John Albert". NHL. July 3, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
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- ^ "Capitals Sign Devante Smith-Pelly". NHL. July 3, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
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- ^ "Capitals Sign Maximilian Kammerer". NHL.com. May 9, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "CHRIS BOURQUE RETURNS TO HERSHEY FOR 2017-18". hersheybears.com. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- ^ "Canadiens agree to terms on a five-year contract with Karl Alzner". nhl.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ "Avalanche Signs Agozzino, Warsofsky, Cannata". nhl.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ "Rangers Agree to Terms With Paul Carey". nhl.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ "Rangers Agree to Terms With Kevin Shattenkirk". nhl.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ "Justin Williams signs two-year deal with Hurricanes". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ "CAPTAIN GARRETT MITCHELL RETURNS FOR 2017-18 SEASON". hersheybears.com. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ "Stan Galiev signs with Ak Bars, officially leaves Capitals organization for KHL". russianmachineneverbreaks.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- ^ "672 NHL games: Tom Gilbert is coming" (in German). Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers. July 21, 2017. Archived from the original on July 22, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- ^ "STEELHEADS AGREE TO TERMS WITH DEFENSEMAN CODY CORBETT". Idaho Steelheads. August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "PENGUINS SIGN CHRISTIAN THOMAS". Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
- ^ Khurshudyan, Isabelle (December 20, 2017). "Capitals re-claim Aussie forward Nathan Walker off waivers". Washington Post. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
- ^ "RELEASE: Oilers Claim Nathan Walker; Place Pakarinen on Waivers". NHL.com. December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ "Jackets place Nick Foligno on IR, claim Taylor Chorney off waivers". NHL.com. February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^ "Capitals Re-sign Christian Djoos". nhl.com. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "Capitals Re-sign T.J. Oshie". nhl.com. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- ^ "Capitals reach two-year deal with F Connolly". tsn.ca. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "Capitals Re-sign Pheonix Copley". nhl.com. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- ^ "Capitals Re-sign Chandler Stephenson". nhl.com. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
- ^ "Capitals Re-sign Evgeny Kuznetsov". nhl.com. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ^ "Capitals Re-sign Andre Burakovsky". nhl.com. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ^ "Capitals Re-sign Travis Boyd". nhl.com. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ^ "Capitals Re-sign Philipp Grubauer". nhl.com. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ "Capitals Re-sign Liam O'Brien". nhl.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- ^ Vogel, Mike (February 10, 2018). "Caps and Eller Agree on Five-Year Extension". NHL.com. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
- ^ "Capitals Sign Tobias Geisser". NHL.com. March 22, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
- ^ "Capitals Sign Shane Gersich". NHL.com. March 23, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ "Capitals Sign Brian Pinho". NHL.com. April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ "Capitals Sign Axel Jonsson-Fjallby". NHL.com. May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ "Capitals Sign Ilya Samsonov". NHL.com. May 4, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
- ^ "Capitals Re-sign Aaron Ness". NHL.com. May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
- ^ "Capitals Re-sign Tyler Lewington". NHL.com. May 18, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.