The Washington Capitals — at least at this moment in time — are in nearly the exact opposite spot they were in last season.

Twelve games into the 2025-26 campaign, the Capitals have the fewest standings points in the Eastern Conference — tied with [checks notes] the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers for dead last. The Capitals’ slow start comes despite playing 7 of their first 12 games at home, giving up the fewest goals in the league (29), and having the third-highest expected goals percentage in the league at 56.1%.

A few caveats:

The Capitals are still very much in contention. Their 13 standings points put them just one win away from being tied for the East’s two wildcard spots. The two teams currently in seventh and eighth, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers, both have 15 standings points.
The Eastern Conference is very jammed together as the Capitals and Panthers are only six points behind the East’s top team, the Montreal Canadiens, who have 19 standings points.
The Capitals are tied for the fewest games played in the East with only 12 total.

Coming into their home matchup against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night, the Capitals have lost their last four games, gaining only one standings point during that time — a 4-3 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. Off to the slowest start of his career, Alex Ovechkin has not scored during the stretch, nor has the Capitals’ power play. The Caps also learned that their top two-way centerman, Pierre-Luc Dubois, is out longterm.

Once the Capitals complete their game against the Blues tonight, they’ll be off to Pittsburgh to play the Penguins on Thursday night, beginning a four-game road trip that Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery believes could be crucial.

“Not season-defining — we’re still early in the season — but I do agree that there’s a level of urgency that our group needs to have,” Carbery said. “Where’s this year going to go? And the level that we’re going to play with. And our ability to finish. And our ability on special teams. Like, who are we? It’s even a little bit of our identity.”

After playing the Penguins, the Capitals will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, and the Florida Panthers on Thursday, before returning home for a three-game homestand.