Arena scorer bias · Washington Capitals
Capital One Arena: how its scorers counted hits
In 2023-24 the Capital One Arena crew credited 5% more hits than Capitals road games (raw), ranking 9 of 32 after shrinkage (1.03). With central recording, the 2025-26 factor is 1.00: in that season the building did not change the count.
Capital One Arena: hits and blocks factor by season
Solid = shrunk factor we use, dashed = raw home ÷ road ratio; 1.00 = neutral
Capital One Arena hits factor by season (shrunk): 2017-18 0.96, 2018-19 0.90, 2019-20 1.06, 2020-21 0.95, 2021-22 1.03, 2022-23 1.01, 2023-24 1.03, 2024-25 1.01, 2025-26 1.00.
- Hits (shrunk)
- Hits (raw)
- Blocks (shrunk)
Every stat, every season
| Season | Hits | Blocked shots | Giveaways | Takeaways | Missed shots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1.00 (1.05) | 1.00 (1.04) | 1.00 (1.03) | 1.00 (0.94) | 0.99 (0.97) |
| 2024-25 | 1.01 (1.02) | 1.02 (1.09) | 1.00 (1.00) | 1.00 (1.02) | 1.01 (1.03) |
| 2023-24 | 1.03 (1.05) | 1.00 (1.00) | 1.23 (1.27) | 1.15 (1.24) | 1.03 (1.05) |
| 2022-23 | 1.01 (1.01) | 1.09 (1.18) | 1.00 (0.99) | 1.04 (1.06) | 1.03 (1.08) |
| 2021-22 | 1.03 (1.04) | 1.07 (1.10) | 0.77 (0.67) | 1.08 (1.13) | 1.07 (1.11) |
| 2020-21 | 0.95 (0.93) | 1.11 (1.22) | 0.95 (0.93) | 1.14 (1.19) | 1.19 (1.29) |
| 2019-20 | 1.06 (1.08) | 1.12 (1.15) | 1.06 (1.07) | 1.13 (1.17) | 1.05 (1.10) |
| 2018-19 | 0.90 (0.87) | 1.07 (1.09) | 0.94 (0.93) | 1.22 (1.26) | 1.09 (1.13) |
| 2017-18 | 0.96 (0.94) | 1.12 (1.17) | 1.03 (1.04) | 1.10 (1.14) | 1.05 (1.08) |
Capitals hits and blocks in 2025-26
The Capitals have absorbed 18.5 hits per game (#27 in the league), delivered 19.7, and blocked 15.9 of the 59.5 shot attempts they face per game, over 82 games. Their own shots hit a teammate 1.2 times a game; the play-by-play logs those as blocked shots but nobody is credited. Opponents facing a team that absorbs many hits get a higher hit environment in Hits tonight.
Capitals hitters at home vs on the road, 2025-26
*Home rate ÷ road rate, divided by the league's home edge that season (1.04×). Above 1 means he is credited more at home than an average player. Central recording season: differences here are role and opponents, not the scorer. A player traded during the season is listed under his last team with his full-season totals.
| Player | GP | Hits | Adjusted | Home /60 | Road /60 | Home vs road* | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom WilsonR | 72 | 179 | 179 | 9.1 | 6.4 | 1.36× | – |
| Brandon DuhaimeL | 82 | 159 | 159 | 8.8 | 12.3 | 0.69× | – |
| Alex OvechkinL | 82 | 134 | 134 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 0.91× | – |
| Ryan LeonardR | 75 | 124 | 124 | 6.6 | 7.1 | 0.90× | – |
| Matt RoyD | 79 | 117 | 117 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 0.86× | – |
| Martin FehérváryD | 81 | 110 | 110 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 1.10× | – |
| Justin SourdifC | 78 | 98 | 98 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 0.94× | – |
| Anthony BeauvillierR | 82 | 93 | 93 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 1.02× | – |
| Rasmus SandinD | 73 | 88 | 88 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 1.18× | – |
| Jakob ChychrunD | 80 | 58 | 58 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.16× | – |
| Ethen FrankR | 62 | 53 | 53 | 5.4 | 2.9 | 1.79× | – |
| Hendrix LapierreC | 74 | 49 | 49 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 1.03× | – |
| David KampfC | 40 | 45 | 45 | 5.3 | 3.9 | 1.32× | – |
| Connor McMichaelL | 78 | 45 | 45 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 0.94× | – |
| Timothy LiljegrenD | 47 | 38 | 38 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 0.99× | – |
Capitals hitters at home vs on the road, 2023-24
*Home rate ÷ road rate, divided by the league's home edge that season (1.04×). Above 1 means he is credited more at home than an average player. A player traded during the season is listed under his last team with his full-season totals.
| Player | GP | Hits | Adjusted | Home /60 | Road /60 | Home vs road* | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beck MalenstynL | 81 | 241 | 239 | 12.9 | 12.2 | 1.02× | – |
| Tom WilsonR | 74 | 228 | 228 | 11.6 | 8.8 | 1.27× | – |
| Martin FehérváryD | 66 | 188 | 185 | 9.4 | 8.0 | 1.14× | – |
| Alex OvechkinL | 79 | 162 | 160 | 6.9 | 5.9 | 1.12× | – |
| Nicolas Aube-KubelR | 60 | 159 | 156 | 15.3 | 11.0 | 1.35× | – |
| Nic DowdC | 64 | 118 | 117 | 8.9 | 5.8 | 1.47× | – |
| Max PaciorettyL | 47 | 76 | 74 | 6.8 | 6.7 | 0.98× | – |
| T.J. OshieR | 52 | 75 | 74 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 0.95× | – |
| Rasmus SandinD | 68 | 75 | 74 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 1.20× | – |
| John CarlsonD | 82 | 69 | 68 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 0.78× | – |
| Nick JensenD | 78 | 62 | 61 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 0.82× | – |
| Ivan MiroshnichenkoL | 21 | 50 | 47 | 14.1 | 9.9 | 1.38× | – |
| Alexander AlexeyevD | 39 | 48 | 47 | 6.3 | 4.2 | 1.45× | – |
| Connor McMichaelL | 80 | 45 | 44 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 1.74× | – |
| Aliaksei ProtasL | 78 | 34 | 34 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 0.90× | – |
FAQ
Does Capital One Arena inflate hits?
In 2023-24, the last season with arena crews whose habits repeated, Capital One Arena credited 3% more hits than Washington Capitals road games after shrinkage. In 2025-26, with central recording, its factor is 1.00.
Should I adjust Washington Capitals players' hits for their arena?
Mainly for seasons up to 2023-24. After the NHL centralised event recording in 2024-25 the factors shrank to within about ±6%, and in 2025-26 they were 1.00 everywhere, so current hits need no adjustment. Use the adjusted hits leaderboard for older seasons.