2016–17 Washington Capitals season
# 2016–17 Washington Capitals season

The 2016–17 Washington Capitals season was the 43rd season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974. They finished the season as presidents' Trophy winners for the second consecutive year, and third time in team history.

## Standings

Metropolitan Division :

| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | p – Washington Capitals | 82 | 55 | 19 | 8 | 53 | 263 | 182 | +81 | 118 |
| 2 | x – Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 50 | 21 | 11 | 46 | 282 | 234 | +48 | 111 |
| 3 | x – Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 50 | 24 | 8 | 47 | 249 | 195 | +54 | 108 |
| 4 | x – New York Rangers | 82 | 48 | 28 | 6 | 45 | 256 | 220 | +36 | 102 |
| 5 | New York Islanders | 82 | 41 | 29 | 12 | 39 | 241 | 242 | −1 | 94 |
| 6 | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 39 | 33 | 10 | 32 | 219 | 236 | −17 | 88 |
| 7 | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 36 | 31 | 15 | 33 | 215 | 236 | −21 | 87 |
| 8 | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 28 | 40 | 14 | 25 | 183 | 244 | −61 | 70 |

## Schedule and results

### Regular season

2016–17 Schedule :

October: 5–2–1 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 3–1–1), 11 Points

#OctTime (ET)VisitorScoreHomeLocation/AttendanceRecordPoints

1137:00 pmWashington Capitals2–3 SOPittsburgh PenguinsPPG Paints Arena (18,630)0–0–11

2157:00 pmNew York Islanders1–2Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)1–0–13

3187:00 pmColorado Avalanche0–3Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)2–0–15

4207:30 pmWashington Capitals4–2Florida PanthersBB&T Center (12,440)3–0–17

5227:00 pmNew York Rangers4–2Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)3–1–17

6269:30 pmWashington Capitals1–4Edmonton OilersRogers Place (18,347)3–2–17

72910:00 pmWashington Capitals5–2Vancouver CanucksRogers Arena (18,338)4–2–19

8309:30 pmWashington Capitals3–1Calgary FlamesScotiabank Saddledome (18,454)5–2–111 :

November: 8–4–1 (Home: 6–2–0 ; Road: 2–2–1), 17 Points

#NovTime (ET)VisitorScoreHomeLocation/AttendanceRecordPoints

918:00 pmWashington Capitals3–2Winnipeg JetsMTS Centre (15,294)6–2–113

1037:00 pmWinnipeg Jets3–4 OTWashington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)7–2–115

1157:00 pmFlorida Panthers2–4Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)8–2–117

1287:00 pmSan Jose Sharks3–0Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)8–3–117

13118:30 pmWashington Capitals3–2 OTChicago BlackhawksUnited Center (22,075)9–3–119

14127:00 pmWashington Capitals1–5Carolina HurricanesPNC Arena (12,436)9–4–119

15157:00 pmWashington Capitals1–2 OTColumbus Blue JacketsNationwide Arena (11,738)9–4–220

16168:00 pmPittsburgh Penguins1–7Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)10–4–222

17187:00 pmDetroit Red Wings0–1Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)11–4–224

182012:30 pmColumbus Blue Jackets3–2Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)11–5–224

19237:00 pmSt. Louis Blues3–4Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)12–5–226

20255:00 pmBuffalo Sabres1–3Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)13–5–228

21267:00 pmWashington Capitals2–4Toronto Maple LeafsAir Canada Centre (19,051)13–6–228 :

December: 8–3–3 (Home: 4–2–1 ; Road: 4–1–2), 19 Points

#DecTime (ET)VisitorScoreHomeLocation/AttendanceRecordPoints

2217:00 pmNew York Islanders3–0Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)13–7–228

2337:00 pmWashington Capitals1–2 SOTampa Bay LightningAmalie Arena (19,092)13–7–329

2457:00 pmBuffalo Sabres2–3 OTWashington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)14–7–331

2578:00 pmBoston Bruins3–4 OTWashington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)15–7–333

2697:00 pmWashington Capitals4–1Buffalo SabresFirst Niagara Center (18,234)16–7–335

27115:00 pmVancouver Canucks0–3Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)17–7–337

28137:00 pmWashington Capitals4–2New York IslandersBarclays Center (12,730)18–7–339

29167:30 pmWashington Capitals4–3 SOCarolina HurricanesPNC Arena (11,892)19–7–341

30177:00 pmMontreal Canadiens2–1Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)19–8–341

31218:00 pmWashington Capitals2–3 SOPhiladelphia FlyersWells Fargo Center (20,011)19–8–442

32237:00 pmTampa Bay Lightning0–4Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)20–8–444

33277:00 pmWashington Capitals3–4New York IslandersBarclays Center (15,795)20–9–444

34297:00 pmNew Jersey Devils2–1 SOWashington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)20–9–545

35311:00 pmWashington Capitals6–2New Jersey DevilsPrudential Center (16,514)21–9–547 :

January: 12–2–1 (Home: 7–0–0 ; Road: 5–2–1), 25 Points

#JanTime (ET)VisitorScoreHomeLocation/AttendanceRecordPoints

3617:30 pmOttawa Senators1–2Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)22–9–549

3737:00 pmToronto Maple Leafs5–6 OTWashington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)23–9–551

3857:00 pmColumbus Blue Jackets0–5Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)24–9–553

3977:00 pmWashington Capitals1–0Ottawa SenatorsCanadian Tire Centre (18,685)25–9–555

4097:30 pmWashington Capitals4–1Montreal CanadiensBell Centre (21,288)26–9–557

41118:00 pmPittsburgh Penguins2–5Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)27–9–559

42137:00 pmChicago Blackhawks0–6Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)28–9–561

431512:30 pmPhiladelphia Flyers0–5Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)29–9–563

44167:00 pmWashington Capitals7–8 OTPittsburgh PenguinsPPG Paints Arena (18,653)29–9–664

45198:00 pmWashington Capitals7–3St. Louis BluesScottrade Center (19,316)30–9–666

46218:00 pmWashington Capitals4–3 OTDallas StarsAmerican Airlines Center (18,532)31–9–668

47237:00 pmCarolina Hurricanes1–6Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)32–9–670

48247:30 pmWashington Capitals0–3Ottawa SenatorsCanadian Tire Centre (16,683)32–10–670

49267:00 pmWashington Capitals5–2New Jersey DevilsPrudential Center (13,428)33–10–672

27–29All-Star Break in Los Angeles

50317:00 pmWashington Capitals2–3New York IslandersBarclays Center (11,240)33–11–672 :

February: 9–2–1 (Home: 6–0–0 ; Road: 3–2–1), 19 Points

#FebTime (ET)VisitorScoreHomeLocation/AttendanceRecordPoints

5118:00 pmBoston Bruins3–5Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)34–11–674

5241:00 pmWashington Capitals3–2Montreal CanadiensBell Centre (21,288)35–11–676

53512:00 pmLos Angeles Kings0–5Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)36–11–678

5477:00 pmCarolina Hurricanes0–5Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)37–11–680

5597:00 pmDetroit Red Wings3–6Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)38–11–682

56117:00 pmAnaheim Ducks4–6Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)39–11–684

57182:00 pmWashington Capitals2–3 SODetroit Red WingsJoe Louis Arena (20,027)39–11–785

581912:30 pmWashington Capitals1–2New York RangersMadison Square Garden (18,006)39–12–785

59228:00 pmWashington Capitals4–1Philadelphia FlyersWells Fargo Center (19,849)40–12–787

60247:00 pmEdmonton Oilers1–2Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)41–12–789

61255:00 pmWashington Capitals2–5Nashville PredatorsBridgestone Arena (17,150)41–13–789

62287:00 pmWashington Capitals4–1New York RangersMadison Square Garden (18,006)42–13–791 :

March: 9–5–1 (Home: 6–1–1 ; Road: 3–4–0), 19 Points

#MarTime (ET)VisitorScoreHomeLocation/AttendanceRecordPoints

6327:00 pmNew Jersey Devils0–1Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)43–13–793

6447:00 pmPhiladelphia Flyers1–2 OTWashington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)44–13–795

6567:00 pmDallas Stars4–2Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)44–14–795

66910:30 pmWashington Capitals2–4San Jose SharksSAP Center (17,562)44–15–795

671110:30 pmWashington Capitals2–4Los Angeles KingsStaples Center (18,230)44–16–795

68129:30 pmWashington Capitals2–5Anaheim DucksHonda Center (17,174)44–17–795

69147:00 pmMinnesota Wild2–4Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)45–17–797

70167:00 pmNashville Predators2–1 OTWashington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)45–17–898

71187:00 pmWashington Capitals5–3Tampa Bay LightningAmalie Arena (19,092)46–17–8100

72217:00 pmCalgary Flames2–4Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)47–17–8102

73237:00 pmColumbus Blue Jackets1–2 SOWashington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)48–17–8104

74257:00 pmArizona Coyotes1–4Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)49–17–8106

75288:00 pmWashington Capitals5–4 OTMinnesota WildXcel Energy Center (19,188)50–17–8108

762910:00 pmWashington Capitals5–3Colorado AvalanchePepsi Center (13,820)51–17–8110

773110:00 pmWashington Capitals3–6Arizona CoyotesGila River Arena (14,290)51–18–8110 :

April: 4–1–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 3–0–0), 8 Points

#AprTime (ET)VisitorScoreHomeLocation/AttendanceRecordPoints

7826:00 pmWashington Capitals3–2Columbus Blue JacketsNationwide Arena (18,247)52–18–8112

7947:30 pmWashington Capitals4–1Toronto Maple LeafsAir Canada Centre (19,415)53–18–8114

8058:00 pmNew York Rangers0–2Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)54–18–8116

8183:00 pmWashington Capitals3–1Boston BruinsTD Garden (17,565)55–18–8118

8297:00 pmFlorida Panthers2–0Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (18,506)55–19–8118 :

Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = OT/SO Loss :

### Playoffs

2017 Stanley Cup playoffs :

Eastern Conference First Round vs. (WC2) Toronto Maple Leafs: Washington won 4–2

GameDateOpponentScoreDecisionSeries

1April 13Toronto Maple Leafs3–2 OTHoltbyWashington leads 1–0

2April 15Toronto Maple Leafs3–4 2OTHoltbySeries tied 1–1

3April 17@ Toronto Maple Leafs3–4 OTHoltbyToronto leads 2–1

4April 19@ Toronto Maple Leafs5–4HoltbySeries tied 2–2

5April 21Toronto Maple Leafs2–1 OTHoltbyWashington leads 3–2

6April 23@ Toronto Maple Leafs2–1 OTHoltbyWashington won 4–2 :

Eastern Conference Second Round vs. (M2) Pittsburgh Penguins: Pittsburgh won 4–3

GameDateOpponentScoreDecisionSeries

1April 27Pittsburgh Penguins2–3HoltbyPittsburgh leads 1–0

2April 29Pittsburgh Penguins2–6HoltbyPittsburgh leads 2–0

3May 1@ Pittsburgh Penguins3–2 OTHoltbyPittsburgh leads 2–1

4May 3@ Pittsburgh Penguins2–3HoltbyPittsburgh leads 3–1

5May 6Pittsburgh Penguins4–2HoltbyPittsburgh leads 3–2

6May 8@ Pittsburgh Penguins5–2HoltbySeries tied 3–3

7May 10Pittsburgh Penguins0–2HoltbyPittsburgh won 4–3 :

Win

  Loss :

## Player statistics

Final Stats

### Skaters

Regular season :

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Nicklas Backstrom | 82 | 23 | 63 | 86 | 17 | 38 |
| Alexander Ovechkin | 82 | 33 | 36 | 69 | 6 | 50 |
| Evgeny Kuznetsov | 82 | 19 | 40 | 59 | 18 | 46 |
| Marcus Johansson | 82 | 24 | 34 | 58 | 25 | 10 |
| T. J. Oshie | 68 | 33 | 23 | 56 | 28 | 36 |
| Justin Williams | 80 | 24 | 24 | 48 | 14 | 50 |
| Matt Niskanen | 78 | 5 | 34 | 39 | 20 | 32 |
| John Carlson | 72 | 9 | 28 | 37 | 7 | 10 |
| Andre Burakovsky | 64 | 12 | 23 | 35 | 13 | 14 |
| Dmitry Orlov | 82 | 6 | 27 | 33 | 30 | 51 |
| Jay Beagle | 81 | 13 | 17 | 30 | 20 | 22 |
| Daniel Winnik | 72 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 15 | 49 |
| Lars Eller | 81 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 15 | 36 |
| Brett Connolly | 66 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 20 | 40 |
| Tom Wilson | 82 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 9 | 133 |
| Nate Schmidt | 60 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 22 | 16 |
| Kevin $Shattenkirk^†$ | 19 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 4 | 10 |
| Brooks Orpik | 79 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 32 | 48 |
| Karl Alzner | 82 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 28 |
| Jakub Vrana | 21 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| Taylor Chorney | 18 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 11 |
| Zach $Sanford^‡$ | 26 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Chandler Stephenson | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Carey | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |
| Garrett Mitchell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Liam O'Brien | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Riley Barber | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aaron Ness | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |

Playoffs :

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Nicklas Backstrom | 13 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 2 |
| T. J. Oshie | 13 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 4 |
| Evgeny Kuznetsov | 13 | 5 | 5 | 10 | −1 | 8 |
| Justin Williams | 13 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 6 |
| Alexander Ovechkin | 13 | 5 | 3 | 8 | −4 | 8 |
| Marcus Johansson | 13 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −1 | 2 |
| Andre Burakovsky | 13 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| Kevin Shattenkirk | 13 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −4 | 6 |
| Lars Eller | 13 | 0 | 5 | 5 | −2 | 10 |
| John Carlson | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Nate Schmidt | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| Matt Niskanen | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 19 |
| Tom Wilson | 13 | 3 | 0 | 3 | −2 | 34 |
| Dmitry Orlov | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | −1 | 2 |
| Brooks Orpik | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −7 | 11 |
| Karl Alzner | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| Jay Beagle | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −5 | 4 |
| Paul Carey | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Winnik | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −4 | 0 |
| Brett Connolly | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :

| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Braden Holtby | 63 | 63 | 3680:10 | 42 | 13 | 6 | 127 | 2.07 | 1690 | .925 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Philipp Grubauer | 24 | 19 | 1264:34 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 43 | 2.04 | 585 | .926 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

Playoffs :

| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Braden Holtby | 13 | 13 | 803:27 | 7 | 6 | 33 | 2.46 | 364 | .909 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Philipp Grubauer | 1 | 0 | 18:34 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6.46 | 9 | .778 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

$^†Denotes$ player spent time with another team before joining the Capitals. Stats reflect time with the Capitals only. $^‡Denotes$ player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Capitals only. Bold/italics denotes franchise record.

## Transactions

The Capitals have been involved in the following transactions during the 2016–17 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| - | - | - |
| June 24, 2016 (2016-06-24) | To St. Louis Blues 1st-round pick in 2016 | To Washington Capitals 1st-round pick in 2016 WSH's 3rd-round pick in 2016 |
| June 24, 2016 (2016-06-24) | To Montreal Canadiens 2nd-round pick in 2017 2nd-round pick in 2018 | To Washington Capitals Lars Eller |
| February 15, 2017 (2017-02-15) | To Los Angeles Kings Future considerations | To Washington Capitals Tom Gilbert |
| February 27, 2017 (2017-02-27) | To St. Louis Blues Zach Sanford Brad Malone 1st-round pick in 2017 conditional 2nd-round pick in 2019 | To Washington Capitals Kevin Shattenkirk Pheonix Copley |

### Lost via retirement

| Date | Player | Ref |
| - | - | - |

### Player signings

| Date | Player | Contract terms (in U.S. dollars) |
| - | - | - |
| June 24, 2016 (2016-06-24) | Paul Carey | 1-year, $575,000 |
| June 24, 2016 (2016-06-24) | Aaron Ness | 2-years, $1.225 million |
| June 30, 2016 (2016-06-30) | Zach Sill | 2-years, $1.225 million |
| June 30, 2016 (2016-06-30) | Tom Wilson | 2-years, $4 million |
| July 1, 2016 (2016-07-01) | Connor Hobbs | 3-years, entry-level contract |
| July 11, 2016 (2016-07-11) | Zach Sanford | 3-years, entry-level contract |
| July 20, 2016 (2016-07-20) | Marcus Johansson | 3-years, $13.75 million |
| September 21, 2016 (2016-09-21) | Dmitry Orlov | 1-year, $2.57 million |
| March 2, 2017 (2017-03-02) | Lucas Johansen | 3-years, entry-level contract |
| March 2, 2017 (2017-03-02) | Colby Williams | 2-years, entry-level contract |
| March 30, 2017 (2017-03-30) | Garrett Pilon | 3-years, entry-level contract |
| April 10, 2017 (2017-04-10) | Beck Malenstyn | 3-years, entry-level contract |
| April 10, 2017 (2017-04-10) | Nathan Walker | 2-years, $1.3 million contract extension |

## Draft picks

Below are the Washington Capitals' selections at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, held June 24–25, 2016 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York.

| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 28 | Lucas Johansen | D | Canada | Kelowna Rockets (WHL) |
| 3 | 87 | Garrett Pilon | C | Canada | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) |
| 4 | 117 | Damien Riat | LW | Switzerland | Geneve-Servette HC (NLA) |
| 5 | 145 | Beck Malenstyn | LW | Canada | Calgary Hitmen (WHL) |
| 5 | 147 | Axel Jonsson-Fjallby | LW | Sweden | Djurgarden-jr. (Swe-Jr) |
| 6 | 177 | Chase Priskie | D | United States | Quinnipiac Bobcats NCAA |
| 7 | 207 | Dmitriy Zaitsev | D | Russia | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights (NAHL) |

### Draft notes

* The Washington Capitals' first-round pick went to the St. Louis Blues as the result of a trade on June 24, 2016 that sent a first-round pick and Washington's third-round pick both in 2016 (28th and 87th overall) to Washington in exchange for this pick.
* The St. Louis Blues' first-round pick went to the Washington Capitals as the result of a trade on June 24, 2016 that sent a first-round pick in 2016 (26th overall) to St. Louis in exchange for Washington's third-round pick in 2016 (87th overall) and this pick.
* The Washington Capitals' second-round pick went to the Toronto Maple Leafs as the result of a trade on February 28, 2016 that sent Daniel Winnik and Anaheim's fifth-round pick in 2016 to Washington in exchange for Brooks Laich, Connor Carrick and this pick.
* The Washington Capitals' third-round pick was re-acquired as the result of a trade on June 24, 2016 that sent a first-round pick in 2016 (26th overall) to St. Louis in exchange for a first-round pick in 2016 (28th overall) and this pick.

    St. Louis previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on July 2, 2015 that sent T. J. Oshie to Washington in exchange for Troy Brouwer, Pheonix Copley and this pick.
* The Anaheim Ducks' fifth-round pick went to the Washington Capitals as the result of a trade on February 28, 2016 that sent Brooks Laich, Connor Carrick and a second-round pick in 2016 to Toronto in exchange for Daniel Winnik and this pick.

    Toronto previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on March 2, 2015 that sent Korbinian Holzer to Anaheim in exchange for Eric Brewer and this pick.
