NHL EDGE stats leaders for Washington Capitals

As part of NHL.com's 32 in 32 series, we will identify key EDGE stats for each team to preview the 2025-26 season. Today, we look at the impact of three advanced metrics for the Washington Capitals:

1. Goals by location

The Capitals were the only team in the NHL to rank in the top eight in goals from each major shot location region last season; Washington was fifth in high-danger goals (137), eighth in midrange goals (85) and tied for third in long-range goals (23). They had several standouts ranked in the 90th percentile or higher at their positions in high-danger goals by shot location:

• High-danger goals

• Tom Wilson: 22 (98th percentile; tied for ninth among forwards)

• Midrange goals

• Alex Ovechkin: 15 (98th percentile; tied for ninth among forwards)
• Jakob Chychrun: 11 (99th percentile; second among defensemen)
• Aliaksei Protas: 11 (93rd percentile among forwards)

• Long-range goals

• Ovechkin: 5 (99th percentile, led forwards)
• Dylan Strome: 4 (99th percentile; tied for second among forwards)
• Chychrun: 4 (92nd percentile among defensemen)

Washington was the second-highest scoring team in the NHL in terms of goals per game lat season at 3.49 (trailing only Tampa Bay Lightning's 3.56), and it was its highest total since averaging 3.82 goals per game in 2009-10. The Capitals led the Eastern Conference in third-period goals (105; third in NHL) and led the League in comeback wins (25).

2. Midrange save percentage of Thompson, Lindgren

Logan Thompson ranked tied for sixth in midrange save percentage (.912) last season and finished among the League leaders in goal differential (plus-61; third) and percentage of games with greater than a .900 save percentage (59.5; ninth). Thompson, who finished fourth in voting for the Vezina Trophy as top goalie in the NHL, also had the best save percentage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (.917 in 10 games; minimum five games played). Though Washington was eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Second Round, Thompson proved he can shoulder a heavy workload (matched NHL career-high with 42 starts) and won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023.

One of the few qualified NHL goalies to rank higher than Thompson in midrange save percentage was the other half of the Capitals' elite goalie tandem, Charlie Lindgren (.914; fourth). Washington tied for the eighth fewest goals-against per game (2.79) last season and had a 31-1-1 record (.939 points percentage) when leading after the second period.

3. Shot speed

The Capitals ranked third in the NHL in 90-plus mile per hour shot attempts (105) last season, trailing the Edmonton Oilers (136) and Lightning (115). Washington had two of the top 10 players in that category in defenseman John Carlson (40; tied for fifth) and Ovechkin (29; 10th). Ovechkin was second among forwards behind the Buffalo Sabres' Tage Thompson at 53.

The Capitals also had the second-highest average shot speed (62.69 mph) as a team, trailing only the Seattle Kraken (63.36 mph). This can include goals, shots that were saved, shots that missed the net (including posts and crossbars), and shots that were blocked. Washington led the NHL in shooting percentage (12.6) and ranked highly in both snap shot goals (96; third) and slap shot goals (24; tied for 10th) last season.

Ovechkin (44) led a group of seven Capitals players to score at least 20 goals last season, the most in the NHL. It was the third time since Ovechkin's rookie season (2005-06) that Washington had at least seven 20-goal scorers (seven in 2018-19; seven in 2009-10). The goal-scoring prowess that now surrounds Ovechkin, who has scored at least 24 goals in all 20 of his NHL seasons, can keep Washington's Stanley Cup window wide open.

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