Stats

Caps Not Worried About Shot Totals

Alex Ovechkin was held without a shot against the Blue Jackets. (Caps Outsider)

In the Capitals’ 4-2 victory against Columbus on Friday, there was one stat in particular that was absurdly lopsided: Shots on goal. The Blue Jackets put up 37, to the Caps’ 17.

At one point, the Caps had scored 4 times on 11 shots.

“The shots don’t always tell everything,” Jay Beagle said after the game, while also acknowledging that 12 shots isn’t great. “I think the coaches always look at Grade A opportunities.”

Barry Trotz said as much. “I’ll take the goals over the shots any day. In the third period, we had the lead, and we were trying to protect it a little bit… Some of the plays that we do, we miss on them, but they’re good looks.”

Let’s give the first-place Caps the benefit of the doubt here – they have a winning record despite losing several players this past offseason. While certain stats, even while winning, can be a cause for concern, quality is greater than quantity in many walks of life.

United Arab Emirates Women’s Team at the Caps Game

Ben Sumner

Ben Sumner is the editor of Capitals Outsider. He also works for The Washington Post and contributes there when he gets a scoop.

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