The Washington Capitals and Their Surprising Season, by Jonah L.

Last season the Washington Capitals ended their season with a 40 and 31 record, barely making the playoffs being the last seed. They were unfortunately swept by the first seed New York Rangers in the first round. But their star player Alex Ovechkin (known as Ovi by the fans) scored 31 goals and had 34 assists in 79 games. 

Alex Ovechkin (Getty Images)

At the start of this season, the fans expected the same as every year: making the playoffs and getting swept. However, they were proven wrong in the first five games, going 2 and 3. This might not be great, but it is still a good start. The team is 1st in the metropolitan division with a 35 and 11 record, the best in the entire league. This has been their best record since the abbreviated 2020 season that took place during the Covid-19 pandemic in which they went 36-15. They finished 7th in the league that year, but got eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. 

Now, the players this season are immaculate: the team has a combined total of 192 goals, with the top five goal-scorers being Alex Ovechkin with 25 goals, Aliakssei Protas, and Tom Wilson with 22 goals, Conner McMichael with 18 goals, Dylan Strome with 15 goals, and Jakob Chychrun with 13 goals. Alex Ovechkin is a standout this season because he hopes to break the record for most career goals. The record is held by Wayne Gretzky with 894. On the other hand, Ovechkin has (at the time of writing this) 878 goals, needing only 17 goals to break the record and 16 to tie it. Ovechkin has a chance to break the record this season and if he doesn't, he will probably break it next season playing for the Capitals. His career spans over 20 years. If Ovechkin breaks the record, he might be regarded as the G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time) of the NHL.