List of Washington Capitals seasons

See caption
Banners at the Capital One Arena showing the Capitals' retired numbers

The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team is a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Capitals played at the Capital Centre from their inaugural season in 1974 to 1997, when they moved to the MCI Center, now known as the Capital One Arena. In 49 completed seasons, the Capitals have qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs 33 times, making two Stanley Cup Finals appearances during the 1997–98 and 2017–18 seasons, winning the latter.

The Capitals were founded in 1974 as an expansion team in the Prince of Wales Conference. The team had an 8–67–5 record and lost 37 straight road games in their inaugural season.[1] The Capitals made their first playoffs in the 1982–83 season and qualified for the playoffs for the following 13 seasons in a row. The Capitals won the Eastern Conference during their 1997–98 season but were swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals.[2]

After reaching the Finals, the Capitals were assigned to the Southeast Division, in which they remained in for 15 years, until an NHL division realignment brought them into the newly formed Metropolitan Division in 2013. Through these times, the Capitals won three Presidents' Trophies in the 2009–10, 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons,[3] before finally winning their first Stanley Cup in the 2017–18 season after 42 seasons (not counting the cancelled 2004–05 season).

Table key

Alex Ovechkin raising the Stanley Cup during the Capitals' 2018 championship ceremony on the National Mall
Key of colors and symbols
Color/symbol Explanation
† Stanley Cup champions
‡ Conference champions
↑ Division champions
# Led league in points
Key of terms and abbreviations
Term or abbreviation Definition
Finish Final position in division or league standings
GP Number of games played
W Number of wins
L Number of losses
T Number of ties
OT Number of losses in overtime (since the 1999–2000 season)
Pts Number of points
GF Goals for (goals scored by the Capitals)
GA Goals against (goals scored by the Capitals' opponents)
— Does not apply

Year by year

Year by year listing of all seasons played by the Washington Capitals
NHL season Capitals season Conference Division Regular season[4][5] Postseason
Finish GP W L T OT Pts GF GA GP W L OT GF GA Result
1974–75 1974–75 Wales Norris 5th 80 8 67 5 — 21 181 446 — — — — — — Did not qualify
1975–76 1975–76 Wales Norris 5th 80 11 59 10 — 32 224 394 — — — — — — Did not qualify
1976–77 1976–77 Wales Norris 4th 80 24 42 14 — 62 221 307 — — — — — — Did not qualify
1977–78 1977–78 Wales Norris 5th 80 17 49 14 — 48 195 321 — — — — — — Did not qualify
1978–79 1978–79 Wales Norris 4th 80 24 41 15 — 63 273 338 — — — — — — Did not qualify
1979–80 1979–80 Campbell Patrick 5th 80 27 40 13 — 67 261 293 — — — — — — Did not qualify
1980–81 1980–81 Campbell Patrick 5th 80 26 36 18 — 70 286 317 — — — — — — Did not qualify
1981–82 1981–82 Wales Patrick 5th 80 26 41 13 — 65 319 338 — — — — — — Did not qualify
1982–83 1982–83 Wales Patrick 3rd 80 39 25 16 — 94 306 283 4 1 3 — 11 19 Lost division semifinals to New York Islanders, 1–3[6]
1983–84 1983–84 Wales Patrick 2nd 80 48 27 5 — 101 308 226 8 4 4 — 28 25 Won division semifinals vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 3–0
Lost division finals to New York Islanders, 1–4[7]
1984–85 1984–85 Wales Patrick 2nd 80 46 25 9 — 101 322 240 5 2 3 — 12 14 Lost division semifinals to New York Islanders, 2–3[8]
1985–86 1985–86 Wales Patrick 2nd 80 50 23 7 — 107 315 272 9 5 4 — 36 24 Won division semifinals vs. New York Islanders, 3–0
Lost division finals to New York Rangers, 2–4[9]
1986–87 1986–87 Wales Patrick 2nd 80 38 32 10 — 86 285 278 7 3 4 — 19 19 Lost division semifinals to New York Islanders, 3–4[10]
1987–88 1987–88 Wales Patrick 2nd 80 38 33 9 — 85 281 249 14 7 7 — 54 50 Won division semifinals vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 4–3
Lost division finals to New Jersey Devils, 3–4[11]
1988–89 1988–89 Wales Patrick↑ 1st 80 41 29 10 — 92 305 259 6 2 4 — 18 25 Lost division semifinals to Philadelphia Flyers, 2–4[12]
1989–90 1989–90 Wales Patrick 3rd 80 36 38 6 — 78 284 275 15 8 7 — 49 48 Won division semifinals vs. New Jersey Devils, 4–2
Won division finals vs. New York Rangers, 4–1
Lost conference finals to Boston Bruins, 0–4[13]
1990–91 1990–91 Wales Patrick 3rd 80 37 36 7 — 81 258 258 11 5 6 — 29 35 Won division semifinals vs. New York Rangers, 4–2
Lost division finals to Pittsburgh Penguins, 1–4[14]
1991–92 1991–92 Wales Patrick 2nd 80 45 27 8 — 98 330 275 7 3 4 — 27 25 Lost division semifinals to Pittsburgh Penguins, 3–4[15]
1992–93 1992–93[a] Wales Patrick 2nd 84 43 34 7 — 93 325 286 6 2 4 — 15 23 Lost division semifinals to New York Islanders, 2–4[16]
1993–94 1993–94 Eastern[b] Atlantic 3rd 84 39 35 10 — 88 277 263 11 5 6 — 32 32 Won conference quarterfinals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 4–2
Lost conference semifinals to New York Rangers, 1–4[17]
1994–95 1994–95[c] Eastern Atlantic 2nd 48 22 18 8 — 52 136 120 7 3 4 — 10 17 Lost conference quarterfinals to Pittsburgh Penguins, 3–4[18]
1995–96 1995–96 Eastern Atlantic 4th 82 39 32 11 — 89 234 204 6 2 4 — 17 21 Lost conference quarterfinals to Pittsburgh Penguins, 2–4[19]
1996–97 1996–97 Eastern Atlantic 5th 82 33 40 9 — 75 214 231 — — — — — — Did not qualify
1997–98 1997–98 Eastern‡ Atlantic 3rd 82 40 30 12 — 92 219 202 21 12 9 — 53 44 Won conference quarterfinals vs. Boston Bruins, 4–2
Won conference semifinals vs. Ottawa Senators, 4–1
Won conference finals vs. Buffalo Sabres, 4–2
Lost Stanley Cup Finals to Detroit Red Wings, 0–4[20]
1998–99 1998–99 Eastern Southeast[g] 3rd 82 31 45 6 — 68 200 218 — — — — — — Did not qualify
1999–2000 1999–2000 Eastern Southeast↑ 1st 82 44 24 12 2[d] 102 227 194 5 1 4 — 6 15 Lost conference quarterfinals to Pittsburgh Penguins, 1–4[21]
2000–01 2000–01 Eastern Southeast↑ 1st 82 41 27 10 4 96 233 211 6 2 4 — 10 14 Lost conference quarterfinals to Pittsburgh Penguins, 2–4[22]
2001–02 2001–02 Eastern Southeast 2nd 82 36 33 11 2 85 228 240 — — — — — — Did not qualify
2002–03 2002–03 Eastern Southeast 2nd 82 39 29 8 6 92 224 220 6 2 4 — 15 14 Lost conference quarterfinals to Tampa Bay Lightning, 2–4[23]
2003–04 2003–04 Eastern Southeast 5th 82 23 46 10 3 59 186 253 — — — — — — Did not qualify
2004–05[e] 2004–05 Eastern Southeast Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout
2005–06 2005–06 Eastern Southeast 5th 82 29 41 —[f] 12 70 237 306 — — — — — — Did not qualify
2006–07 2006–07 Eastern Southeast 5th 82 28 40 — 14 70 235 286 — — — — — — Did not qualify
2007–08 2007–08 Eastern Southeast↑ 1st 82 43 31 — 8 94 242 231 7 3 4 — 20 23 Lost conference quarterfinals to Philadelphia Flyers, 3–4[24]
2008–09 2008–09 Eastern Southeast↑ 1st 82 50 24 — 8 108 272 245 14 7 7 — 41 38 Won conference quarterfinals vs. New York Rangers, 4–3
Lost conference semifinals to Pittsburgh Penguins, 3–4[25]
2009–10 2009–10 Eastern Southeast↑ 1st 82 54 15 — 13 121# 318 233 7 3 4 — 22 20 Lost conference quarterfinals to Montreal Canadiens, 3–4[26]
2010–11 2010–11 Eastern Southeast↑ 1st 82 48 23 — 11 107 224 197 9 4 5 — 23 24 Won conference quarterfinals vs. New York Rangers, 4–1
Lost conference semifinals to Tampa Bay Lightning, 0–4[27]
2011–12 2011–12 Eastern Southeast 2nd 82 42 32 — 8 92 222 230 14 7 7 — 28 30 Won conference quarterfinals vs. Boston Bruins, 4–3
Lost conference semifinals to New York Rangers, 3–4[28]
2012–13[h] 2012–13 Eastern Southeast↑ 1st 48 27 18 — 3 57 149 130 7 3 4 — 13 15 Lost conference quarterfinals to New York Rangers, 3–4[29]
2013–14 2013–14 Eastern Metropolitan[i] 5th 82 38 30 — 14 90 235 240 — — — — — — Did not qualify
2014–15 2014–15 Eastern Metropolitan 2nd 82 45 26 — 11 101 242 203 14 7 7 — 28 28 Won first round vs. New York Islanders, 4–3
Lost second round to New York Rangers, 3–4[30]
2015–16 2015–16 Eastern Metropolitan↑ 1st 82 56 18 — 8 120# 252 193 12 6 6 — 29 22 Won first round vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 4–2
Lost second round to Pittsburgh Penguins, 2–4[31]
2016–17 2016–17 Eastern Metropolitan↑ 1st 82 55 19 — 8 118# 263 182 13 7 6 — 36 34 Won first round vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 4–2
Lost second round to Pittsburgh Penguins, 3–4
2017–18† 2017–18 Eastern‡ Metropolitan↑ 1st 82 49 26 — 7 105 259 239 24 16 8 — 86 61 Won first round vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 4–2
Won second round vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 4–2
Won conference finals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 4–3
Won Stanley Cup Finals vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 4–1
2018–19 2018–19 Eastern Metropolitan↑ 1st 82 48 26 — 8 104 278 249 7 3 4 — 20 21 Lost first round to Carolina Hurricanes, 3–4
2019–20 2019–20 Eastern Metropolitan↑ 1st 69 41 20 — 8 90 240 215 8 2 5 1 13 24 Finished third in seeding round-robin (1–1–1)
Lost first round to New York Islanders, 1–4
2020–21 2020–21 — East 2nd 56 36 15 — 5 77 191 163 5 1 4 — 10 16 Lost first round to Boston Bruins, 1–4
2021–22 2021–22 Eastern Metropolitan 4th 82 44 26 — 12 100 275 245 6 2 4 — 19 20 Lost first round to Florida Panthers, 2–4
2022–23 2022–23 Eastern Metropolitan 6th 82 35 37 — 10 80 255 265 — — — — — — Did not qualify
2023–24 2023–24 Eastern Metropolitan 4th 82 40 31 — 11 91 220 257 4 0 4 — 7 15 Lost first round to New York Rangers, 0–4
Totals[32][33] 3,879 1,819 1,561 303 196 4,137 12,266 12,320 305 140 164 1 862 872 33 playoff appearances

Notes

  • a In 1992, the NHL expanded the season to 84 games, and each team played two games at a neutral site. After the 1995 lockout, the neutral site games were eliminated, and the season was reduced to 82 games.[34]
  • b The NHL realigned into Eastern and Western conferences prior to the 1993–94 season.[35] Washington was placed in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.[36]
  • c The season was shortened to 48 games because of the 1994–95 NHL lockout.[37]
  • d Beginning with the 1999–00 season, teams received one point for losing a regular season game in overtime.[38]
  • e The season was canceled because of the 2004–05 NHL lockout.[39]
  • f Before the 2005–06 season, the NHL instituted a penalty shootout for regular season games that remained tied after a five-minute overtime period, which prevented ties.[40]
  • g The NHL added 4 expansion teams prior to the 1998–99 season and split the Eastern Conference into three divisions: Northeast, Atlantic, and Southeast. Washington was moved into the new Southeast division.[41]
  • h The season was shortened to 48 games because of the 2012–13 NHL lockout.[42]
  • i The NHL realigned prior to the 2013–14 season. Washington was placed in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference.[43]
  • j The 2019-20 NHL season was suspended on March 12, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The top 24 teams in the league qualified for the playoffs.[44]
  • k The 2020–21 NHL season was shortened to 56 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[45]

References

  1. ^ Page 2 Staff. "Worst Pro Teams of All-time". ESPN. Retrieved June 21, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Montgomery, David (June 17, 1998). "No Shame in Shutout, Fans Say". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  3. ^ "Capitals clinch NHL's best record". ESPN. April 5, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  4. ^ "Washington Capitals Statistics and History". The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  5. ^ "Washington Capitals Franchise Index". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  6. ^ "1983 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  7. ^ "1984 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  8. ^ "1985 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  9. ^ "1986 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  10. ^ "1987 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  11. ^ "1988 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  12. ^ "1989 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  13. ^ "1990 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  14. ^ "1991 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  15. ^ "1992 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  16. ^ "1993 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  17. ^ "1994 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  18. ^ "1995 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  19. ^ "1996 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  20. ^ "1998 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  21. ^ "2000 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  22. ^ "2001 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  23. ^ "2003 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  24. ^ "2008 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  25. ^ "2009 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  26. ^ "2010 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  27. ^ "2011 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  28. ^ "2012 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  29. ^ "2013 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  30. ^ "2015 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  31. ^ "2016 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  32. ^ Total statistics of Washington Capitals in regular season 1974/75 - 2022/23 | NHL.com
  33. ^ Total statistics of Washington Capitals in Playoff 1974/75 - 2021/22 | NHL.com
  34. ^ Morrison, Scott (December 1, 2007). "84 game schedule a lock". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  35. ^ Lapointe, Joe (April 1, 1993). "Hockey; N.H.L. Redraws Map In Realignment Plan". The New York Times. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  36. ^ Anderson, Dave (April 15, 1993). "Sports of The Times; Rangers Must Search For a 'Riley'". The New York Times. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  37. ^ Swift, E. M. (January 23, 1995). "Drop Those Pucks!". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on May 17, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  38. ^ Lapointe, Joe (September 30, 1999). "Hockey: Preview '99–'00; Overtime Is Now Five Minutes in Hockey Heaven". The New York Times. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  39. ^ "Lockout over salary cap shuts down NHL". ESPN. Associated Press. February 16, 2005. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  40. ^ "Shootouts are fan-friendly". The Washington Times. October 19, 2005. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  41. ^ "N.H.L. Names 4 Cities For Its New Franchises". The New York Times. June 18, 1997. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  42. ^ "NHL Announces 2012-13 Season Schedule". Lightning.nhl.com. Tampa Bay Lightning. January 12, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  43. ^ "NHL slate, division names revealed". ESPN.com news services. ESPN. July 20, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  44. ^ "NHL to pause season due to coronavirus". NHL.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  45. ^ Knoll, Andrew (December 20, 2020). "N.H.L. and Players' Union Reach Framework for 2020-21 Season". The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2021.