Typical Washington Capitals.
That's how you could sum up the NHL's first-place club. The Capitals are firing on all cylinders, and at the midway part of the season, are back to doing exactly what made them such a powerhouse last season.
Sure, it might not be that hard to believe considering nearly the entire roster remains intact from last year's regular-season dominance - but the fact is the team has not skipped a beat and is actually putting up better numbers than it did one year ago in besting all NHL clubs in the overall standings.
Check it out:
| Stat | GF/G | GA/G | PP% | PK% | Shots/G | SA/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 3.02 | 2.33 | 21.9 | 85.2 | 30.6 | 28.4 |
| 2016-17 | 3.20 | 2.07 | 19.1 | 86.1 | 30 | 27.9 |
The Capitals are riding a hot streak at the moment, having gone 9-0-1 in their last 10 games with their only blip coming in a mystical 8-7 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Related: On the Fly: 3 thoughts from a goal-filled week in the NHL
Once again the team is expected to have at least five players hit the 20-goal plateau, Braden Holtby could reenter the Vezina Trophy conversation, and with 21 goals so far, Alex Ovechkin is certainly in the running for another Rocket Richard Trophy.
The Capitals are on pace to finish the year with a league-high 120 points which - wouldn't you know it - is exactly what they won the Presidents' Trophy with last season.
Here we go again.
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