Empty-Net Lab · Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals Goalie Pull Tracker
When the Capitals pull the goalie down one and down two, how that compares with the rest of the league and with past coaches, what happens while the net is empty at both ends, and who is on the ice for it.
When the Capitals pull the goalie, 2025-26
Share of late deficits with the goalie pulled, by time left in the 3rd period
When the Capitals pull the goalie, 2025-26. WSH down 1: half pulled by 1:52 remaining, 39% pulled with 2:00 left (26 trailing spells); WSH down 2: half pulled by 3:04 remaining, 100% pulled with 2:00 left (21 trailing spells); NHL down 1: half pulled by 2:00 remaining, 51% pulled with 2:00 left (831 trailing spells).
Capitals goalie pulls by coach
| Coach | Seasons | Median pull, down 1 | Pulled by 2:00 | Median pull, down 2 | Tied it, down 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Carbery | 2023-24 to 2026-27 | 1:46 (57) | 41% | 2:53 (57) | 5 / 35 |
| Peter Laviolette | 2020-21 to 2022-23 | 2:01 (64) | 52% | 3:02 (57) | 6 / 42 |
| Todd Reirden | 2018-19 to 2019-20 | 1:43 (44) | 16% | 2:41 (39) | 9 / 29 |
| Barry Trotz | 2017-18 | 1:46 (23) | 31% | 2:38 (15) | 3 / 15 |
Regular season since 2017-18, every club of the franchise. In brackets: late deficits behind the median; coaches with fewer than 10 are a small sample.
Capitals season by season
| Season | Median pull, down 1 | Median pull, down 2 | 6v5 time | GF pulled | ENG against | ENG for | GA vs extra attacker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 2:28 (1) | 1:57 (1) | 2:20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025-26 | 1:52 (26) | 3:04 (21) | 39:03 | 4 | 17 | 25 | 6 |
| 2024-25 | 1:42 (21) | 2:38 (16) | 25:41 | 1 | 8 | 23 | 5 |
| 2023-24 | 1:33 (9) | 2:47 (19) | 19:33 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 3 |
| 2022-23 | 1:55 (25) | 3:02 (33) | 49:59 | 6 | 21 | 11 | 3 |
| 2021-22 | 2:02 (27) | 3:13 (12) | 35:48 | 4 | 9 | 20 | 8 |
| 2020-21 | 1:48 (12) | 2:19 (12) | 18:34 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 5 |
| 2019-20 | 1:41 (21) | 3:36 (14) | 35:02 | 9 | 10 | 16 | 2 |
| 2018-19 | 1:46 (23) | 2:38 (25) | 33:22 | 4 | 14 | 16 | 8 |
| 2017-18 | 1:46 (23) | 2:38 (15) | 32:33 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 5 |
Who is on the ice for the Capitals, 2025-26
Extra attacker (6-on-5)
- Alex Ovechkin37:19 · 96%
- Dylan Strome36:41 · 99%
- Jakob Chychrun36:26 · 98%
- Tom Wilson27:24 · 91%
- John Carlson26:18 · 92%
- Aliaksei Protas19:15 · 58%
- Ryan Leonard16:12 · 43%
- Pierre-Luc Dubois10:56 · 79%
Empty-net defense
- Martin Fehérváry28:39 · 53%
- Tom Wilson25:40 · 50%
- Aliaksei Protas24:15 · 47%
- John Carlson21:07 · 64%
- Matt Roy21:00 · 40%
- Connor McMichael18:23 · 39%
- Alex Ovechkin16:21 · 30%
- Rasmus Sandin14:58 · 29%
Empty-net goals
- Alex Ovechkin7 G, 1 A
- Aliaksei Protas6 G, 4 A
- Tom Wilson5 G, 4 A
- John Carlson2 G, 3 A
- Cole Hutson2 G, 0 A
- Connor McMichael1 G, 2 A
- Justin Sourdif1 G, 1 A
- Ethen Frank1 G, 0 A
% = share of the team's time in that situation in the games the player dressed. Empty-net defense time is where empty-net goals come from.
Recent Capitals goalie pulls
| Date | Opponent | Down | Pulled with | Time pulled | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 3 | TBL | 1 | 2:28 | 0:23 | Empty-net goal against |
| Oct 3 | TBL | 2 | 1:57 | 1:57 | No goal |
| Apr 2 | NJD | 3+ | 3:56 | 1:50 | Empty-net goal against |
| Mar 24 | STL | 2 | 2:34 | 1:53 | Empty-net goal against |
| Mar 11 | PHI | 2 | 2:32 | 1:22 | Empty-net goal against |
| Mar 7 | BOS | 1 | 2:18 | 1:54 | Empty-net goal against |
| Mar 3 | UTA | 1 | 2:15 | 2:15 | No goal |
| Feb 28 | MTL | 2 | 3:26 | 0:10 | Empty-net goal against |
| Feb 28 | MTL | 3+ | 2:23 | 0:58 | Empty-net goal against |
| Feb 3 | PHI | 1 | 1:52 | 1:35 | Empty-net goal against |
| Jan 21 | VAN | 2 | 4:01 | 0:38 | Scored |
| Jan 21 | VAN | 1 | 1:51 | 1:51 | No goal |
FAQ
When do the Capitals pull their goalie?
In 2025-26 under Spencer Carbery, the Washington Capitals had pulled their goalie in half of their late one-goal deficits with 1:52 left in the 3rd period, and in 39% with 2:00 or more left (26 games trailing by one in the last 10 minutes).
How many empty-net goals have the Capitals allowed?
With their goalie pulled in 2025-26, the Washington Capitals scored 4 and allowed 17 empty-net goals in 39:03 of 6-on-5 time. Defending an empty net, they scored 25 empty-net goals and allowed 6 goals to the extra attacker.
How is goalie pull time measured?
From the NHL shift charts: the first moment in a deficit when the team had no goalie on the ice, excluding delayed penalties. The curve counts every late deficit, including ones erased before a pull, so it is not biased toward long deficits.