By the numbers, Caps improved

The Washington Capitals are improved statistically in every way over last season, but nobody on the club is happy about it.

“No, we’re not satisfied,” general manager George McPhee snapped without hesitation yesterday. “There have been some very winnable games that we didn’t win, games where we got one point but we were after two. That’s where the improvement will have to be as we move forward — getting two points instead of settling for one.”

Coach Glen Hanlon agreed with his boss — to a point.

“I feel we should have more because of the points we weren’t able to collect,” he said. “In the shootouts and overtime games, we left some points on the table. … It’s easy to say we should have more, but sometimes you have to be realistic. The way we’ve played up to this point, the chances we’ve given up, I think we’re pretty close to what we deserve.

“But the matter of fact is we’ve got to be a point or two better.”

The fact of the matter is a quarter of the way through this season the Caps rank statistically better in every category of consequence than they did at the same point last season.

The other reality is they could be far better with an extra goal here or there. The club not only has lost all four of its shootouts, it has yet to score a single shootout goal. It also has lost twice in overtime.

“You’d love to win half the overtime and shootout games. Then we’d have a little more satisfaction. But the bottom line is we’ve improved,” goalie Olie Kolzig said. “We’d love to be greedy, but let’s be realistic: The goal is to improve every game, and we’ve done that.”

Dramatically, in some cases. Most impressive is the club’s improvement in staying healthy. Last season, the Caps already had lost 65 man-games by this point; this season the figure is just 26. That means the roster is more stable from game to game, players are more familiar with each other and there are fewer shuttles to and from the minor league team in Hershey, Pa.

The specialty teams have rebounded from a season in which little went right. The power play has improved by 21 percent, rising to 15.9 percent. The penalty-killers, dreadful a year ago, have improved to a kill rate of 82.5 percent. Neither figure is even at the league average, but both mark a healthy improvement.

“Even our game in Boston the other night, we had two go against us,” Hanlon said. “But we look more organized. The players are growing into their roles. We are showing progress.”

The offense still sputters, scoring only two more goals than it did at this time last season. But the defense has allowed nearly a goal less a game. The Caps had surrendered 84 goals by this point last season but have allowed only 65 a quarter of the way through this season.

“The goaltending has been terrific,” McPhee said. “The defense has improved. The forwards are better. People have been asking me what the biggest surprise has been this season, and it hasn’t been an individual. It’s the team. And that’s not a surprise, at least not to me.”

Sophomore sensation Alex Ovechkin, the rookie of the year last season, appears to be in for a so-so year. He is on pace to score 53 goals, one more than he scored last season. However, he also is on pace for 94 points, a dozen less than the 106 he had his rookie season.

“The biggest improvement for us is in the dressing room,” Kolzig said. “Now we go out there expecting to win; last year we’d go out, give it our best and see what happened. Now we expect to win games. That’s progress.”

Note — Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins leads the All-Star voting in the Eastern Conference, but Ovechkin ranks second. Kolzig stands seventh in the goalie balloting.