Red-hot Capitals look to keep rolling, despite handful of injuries

The Capitals are red-hot after a floundering start to the season, riding a seven-game point streak into Thursday’s home game against the Carolina Hurricanes. But a handful of injuries could threaten Washington’s spot atop a competitive Eastern Conference.

Rookie forward Ryan Leonard, veteran defenseman John Carlson and second goaltender Charlie Lindgren have all missed time with assorted upper-body injuries. Leonard, who was spotted in a sling following Washington’s 2-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, is expected to miss “an extended period of time,” according to Capitals coach Spencer Carbery. 

“I’m sure we’ll come out with more information at some point,” he said of the 2023 first-round pick. 

Carlson, however, is expected to return on Thursday after missing three straight games. Lindgren is still on injured reserve but took the ice during Wednesday’s practice. 

Despite the injury-related setbacks, Carbery’s Capitals have blossomed into one of the NHL’s most complete squads. Entering Wednesday’s games, Washington ranked second in the league in goals allowed and third in goals scored per game. 

“Our group has done a real good job of handling [injuries] and exceeding in the way that we’ve played and the way we’ve been able to win games over the last little stretch,” Carbery said.

The Capitals have lost just one game in regulation over the last three weeks. In the process, they’ve led the league in scoring while maintaining an NHL-best .875 point percentage. More simply, Carbery’s squad has caught fire. They look like the team that earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference last season. 

Throughout the short-lived playoff run and the offseason, skeptics called the Capitals’ success a fluke. Ovechkin, now in his age-40 season, wouldn’t be able to rank near the top of the NHL leaderboard in goals again. Breakout players like Tom Wilson, Jakob Chychrun and Pierre-Luc Dubois would have trouble replicating their career-high outputs. 

Early on, the critics were right. Ovechkin started sluggishly after missing most of training camp with a lower-body injury. The power-play unit, which was never a strength, looked like a liability for the first month of the season. Wilson and Chychrun shone, but Dubois suffered an abdominal injury in October that will likely sideline him until the Olympic break. 

“Those are not easy shoes to fill and easy matchups and easy minutes to just replace,” Carbery said of Dubois’ absence. 

The Capitals posted a mediocre 8-8-2 record through their first 18 games. Then they flipped a switch. 

Logan Thompson, already one of the top goaltenders in the league, became nearly unbeatable. He’s allowed one goal or fewer in four of his last six outings. The Canadian’s shutdown defense has turned him into a hot name for Olympic consideration. 

On the offensive end, Ovechkin woke up. He scored 10 goals in Washington’s last 13 games, which the Capitals have often won in dominant fashion. Their +33 goal differential in five-on-five ranks second in the NHL, trailing only the Western Conference-leading Colorado Avalanche.

The Capitals aren’t ready for a victory lap, though. They have 52 games remaining in the season and a tough December stretch that continues with Thursday’s game against the Hurricanes, the same team that eliminated them from the postseason last year. 

“Really good hockey team; we know them well,” Carbery said of Carolina. “It’s a good test for us. We know how good they’ve been, all the things they do at a really high level, how they make it difficult on you.”

The Eastern Conference standings leave little breathing room for any playoff hopeful this year. Every club, except for the Buffalo Sabres, had a point percentage of .500 or better entering Wednesday’s games.