Graphic: Monumental Sports and Entertainment
While it may be hard to believe, after the Capitals’ 5-2 outdoor win on Saturday night, they have just 17 games left to play in the 2017-18 regular season. In this piece, NoVa Caps analyzes the Capitals’ remaining games and what to expect for the team going forward.
Below is a chart of the Capitals’ 17 remaining games of the season, which encompasses the remainder of the month of March and into the first week of April.
| Month /Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Opp. Win % | Opp. Record |
| MARCH | ||||
| 3/6/2018 | Anaheim Ducks | Away | 0.585 | 32-21-12 |
| 3/8/2018 | Los Angeles Kings | Away | 0.583 | 36-25-5 |
| 3/10/2018 | San Jose Sharks | Away | 0.608 | 35-21-9 |
| 3/12/2018 | Winnipeg Jets | Home | 0.664 | 38-17-9 |
| 3/15/2018 | New York Islanders | Away | 0.500 | 29-29-8 |
| 3/16/2018 | New York Islanders | Home | 0.500 | 29-29-8 |
| 3/18/2018 | Philadelphia Flyers | Away | 0.608 | 34-20-11 |
| 3/20/2018 | Dallas Stars | Home | 0.608 | 37-23-5 |
| 3/22/2018 | Detrot Red Wings | Away | 0.484 | 26-28-10 |
| 3/24/2018 | Montreal Canadiens | Away | 0.469 | 25-29-11 |
| 3/26/2018 | New York Rangers | Away | 0.500 | 30-30-6 |
| 3/28/2018 | New York Rangers | Home | 0.500 | 30-30-6 |
| 3/30/2018 | Carolina Hurricanes | Home | 0.531 | 29-25-11 |
| APRIL | ||||
| 4/1/2018 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Away | 0.591 | 37-25-4 |
| 4/2/2018 | St. Louis Blues | Away | 0.568 | 35-26-5 |
| 4/5/2018 | Nashville Predators | Home | 0.711 | 41-14-9 |
| 4/7/2018 | New Jersey Devils | Home | 0.569 | 33-24-8 |
Of the Capitals’ remaining 17 games, 10 of them (58%) will be played on the road, including seven of the first 10. With the Philadelphia Flyers (one of the team’s upcoming opponents) just two points behind them in the standings (as of March 4), it will be imperative the Capitals play well in other teams’ barns. The 17 games will also feature two home-and-home sets with the New York Islanders on March 15 and 16, and the New York Rangers on March 26 and 28.
Of the Capitals’ 15 different opponents in the 17 games, 13 of them have win percentages of .500 or better, including four with win percentages of .600 and one (the Nashville Predators) with a .700 win percentage. The Capitals will finish their season at home in the final two games of the season against the Predators and New Jersey Devils. Of their 15 different opponents, six of them are Metropolitan Division rivals, while seven of them are Western Conference teams.
As one can see, the Capitals have quite a tough road ahead of them to finish out what, at times, has been a nail-biting season after the losses of a number of key players over the summer. The Capitals currently sit at first in the Metropolitan Division and are two points ahead of the second-place Flyers with 81 points in 65 games played. If the team can end the season having won more than half of their upcoming 17 games, they should be in good standing heading into the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With team captain Alex Ovechkin leading the way, along with additions to the defensive corps by General Manager Brian MacLellan, the Capitals should be able to finish the 2017-18 season strongly.
By Michael Fleetwood
#6 has been an IMMENSE improvement on the Caps’ defense. Kempny’s arrival has allowed for MUCH better overall D pairings. It’s SO NOTICEABLE how much cleaner and more composed the Caps D-corps has been since #6’s arrival. Caps were Team Turnover before … much better now. Can they keep it up?
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