Packing for a mid-December road trip through both Tampa Bay and Columbus could be a head-scratcher for even the savviest of veterans. But as the Capitals embark on a two-game trek this weekend, the potentially 40-degree drop in temperature barely fazes them.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 worry too much about these types of things,鈥� Evgeny Kuznetsov said this week.
The Capitals don鈥檛 have much to worry about at all these days. They鈥檝e assumed their familiar perch atop the NHL鈥檚 overall standings with a 23-5-5 record and finally trotted out their fully healthy optimal lineup for the first time all season last week.
Along the way, the Capitals have emerged as the best road team in the NHL. Washington鈥檚 14-2-1 road record is not only tops in the NHL this year, it鈥檚 also the best road start in franchise history.
鈥淗ome or away, I don鈥檛 think it really makes a big difference to us,鈥� said goaltender Braden Holtby. 鈥淲e can play well anywhere and I think we鈥檝e shown that.鈥�
No kidding.
Looking back at the start of the season, the Capitals had a grueling October, with nine of their first 14 games on the road. It was a travel-heavy stretch that could have left the Capitals in a precarious spot by month鈥檚 end.
Instead, beginning with a two-goal comeback in a season-opening win against defending Stanley Cup champions the St. Louis Blues, the Capitals went 7-1-1 on the road in October. In the process, they tied an NHL record for the most road wins in the opening month of the season (only matched by the 2009-10 New Jersey Devils).
Washington capped off their opening month with the best five-game road trip in team history 鈥� a 4-0-1 run in which the Capitals played five games in 10 nights across four time zones. The stretch included the largest single-game comeback in franchise history, as the Capitals erased a 5-1 deficit late in the second period and rallied to beat Vancouver 6-5 in a shootout on Oct. 25.
鈥淲e鈥檙e a really even-keeled team,鈥� said Capitals center Nic Dowd. 鈥淕uys in here know how to win and they鈥檝e been doing it for a long time. I know it鈥檚 a clich茅, but really on this team, we go out and play and we all have a feeling that we鈥檒l win the game regardless of what the score is.
鈥淚f you look at the Vancouver game, at no point were guys down on the bench. We have a good group of guys that keep each other positive.鈥�
Former Capitals head coach Barry Trotz used to say that championship teams have the ability to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations. And over the course of a demanding NHL itinerary, potentially uncomfortable situations are plentiful. Injuries inevitably mount, adversity hits and the travel miles pile up.
Through the first two-and-a-half months of the season, the Capitals have looked the part of a veteran-laden team that won鈥檛 be easily frazzled. There is a cool, calm, collected nature to them that has perhaps been most evident on the road.
鈥淲e have terrific leaders,鈥� assistant coach Scott Arniel told the Capitals Radio Network after a multi-goal comeback in Florida on Nov. 7. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no panic.鈥�
The Capitals鈥� road success wasn鈥檛 limited to October. Since the start of the 2015-16 season, Washington鈥檚 108-54-18 road record is tops on the circuit. In 2018, the Stanley Cup champions won a postseason-record 10 games on the road and they became just the second team in league history to clinch all four series on the road.
鈥淚 think we recognize the importance of playing a little bit smarter on the road,鈥� said forward Lars Eller.
鈥淭hat goes for the last couple of years, too. On the road, in my opinion, we play with a little bit less risk and we play a little bit smarter. Sometimes at home, we take chances that maybe we shouldn鈥檛 take because we think we can just score enough to win the game,” said Eller. “I think that maybe we respect the game a little bit more on the road and maybe that鈥檚 why we tend to let in [fewer goals].鈥�
Most recently, the Capitals completed their first 4-0-0 road trip in 26 years. The trip, which took the Capitals through Detroit, San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim, also included their first ever three-game sweep in California.
The Capitals鈥� defensive play was especially impressive, as they outscored their opponents 16-7 over the four-game stretch and successfully killed nine of their 10 shorthanded situations.
鈥淲e鈥檝e also had outstanding goaltending and we can鈥檛 take that for granted,鈥� Eller said. 鈥淸Penalty kill] has been better and some games we鈥檝e taken a lot less penalties and that helps. So, it鈥檚 a lot of things.鈥�
Despite the perks that come with NHL travel, including chartered flights and five-star hotels, life on the road can also be incredibly taxing. What impresses head coach Todd Reirden most about how his team handles their time on the road is that he doesn鈥檛 see the typical cliques that can form within a group of 20 co-workers.
鈥淲hen we鈥檙e off the ice, I see groups of guys doing different things — going to lunch someplace, some guys are going to a movie, some guys are going to shop — but it鈥檚 never the same group of guys together,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always different. Maybe I鈥檒l see them and I鈥檓 like, 鈥極h, that鈥檚 a different group than I鈥檝e seen hang together.鈥欌��
Reirden points to the routines the team has built on the road and the bonds that have formed amongst his players as key ingredients to fuel a winning environment without the comforts of home.
鈥淭hey genuinely enjoy being around one another,鈥� said Reirden. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 a special attribute.鈥�
