Chances are the Caps’ Chances are Awfully Good

Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty ImagesThrough 19 games, the Washington Capitals have rolled to an 11-3-5 record. Both their points percentage (.711) and goal differential (plus-20) are good for fourth-best on the circuit, the latter contributing to the former, of course, and being the product of five-on-five scoreboard domination. To wit, the Caps have outscored opponents at five by, you guessed it, 20 goals (47-27).

The underlying numbers of that differential, for the most part, don’t really align with the sort of edge that the Caps have had thus far; they’re on the right side of break-even in all of the key stats - shot attempts, scoring chances, high-danger chances, etc. - but not wildly so.…