1994–95 Washington Capitals season

1994–95 Washington Capitals
Division3rd Atlantic
Conference6th Eastern
1994–95 record22–18–8
Home record15–6–3
Road record7–12–5
Goals for136
Goals against120
Team information
General managerDavid Poile
CoachJim Schoenfeld
CaptainDale Hunter
Alternate captainsCalle Johansson
Joe Juneau
Michal Pivonka
ArenaUSAir Arena
Average attendance14,158
Minor league affiliate(s)Portland Pirates
Hampton Roads Admirals
Team leaders
GoalsPeter Bondra (34)
AssistsJoe Juneau (38)
PointsPeter Bondra (43)
Joe Juneau
Penalty minutesCraig Berube (173)
Plus/minusJoe Reekie (+10)
WinsJim Carey (18)
Goals against averageJim Carey (2.13)

The 1994–95 Washington Capitals season was the team's 21st season of play. After stumbling to a 3–10–5 record by February 28, the Capitals caught a break in bringing up 20-year-old rookie goaltender Jim Carey from the Portland Pirates for their March 2 game against the New York Islanders. The Capitals edged the Islanders 4–3 and Carey made 21 saves. Carey would finish his rookie season with an impressive 18–6–3 record, a 2.13 goals against average (GAA) and four shutouts. With the help of Carey's superb goaltending, Washington would go on to win 19 of their final 30 games and finish in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, with a 22–18–8 record for 52 points. Peter Bondra had an excellent season, leading all NHL skaters in goals (34) and shorthanded goals (6).

Off-season

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Regular season

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The Capitals tied the Buffalo Sabres for the most short-handed goals scored (13) and tied the St. Louis Blues for the fewest short-handed goals allowed (2) during the regular season.[1]

Final standings

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Atlantic Division
No. CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 2 Philadelphia Flyers 48 28 16 4 150 132 60
2 5 New Jersey Devils 48 22 18 8 136 121 52
3 6 Washington Capitals 48 22 18 8 136 120 52
4 8 New York Rangers 48 22 23 3 139 134 47
5 9 Florida Panthers 48 20 22 6 115 127 46
6 12 Tampa Bay Lightning 48 17 28 3 120 144 37
7 13 New York Islanders 48 15 28 5 126 158 35

[2]

Note: No. = Division rank, CR = Conference rank, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Eastern Conference[3]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 Quebec Nordiques NE 48 30 13 5 185 134 65
2 Philadelphia Flyers AT 48 28 16 4 150 132 60
3 Pittsburgh Penguins NE 48 29 16 3 181 158 61
4 Boston Bruins NE 48 27 18 3 150 127 57
5 New Jersey Devils AT 48 22 18 8 136 121 52
6 Washington Capitals AT 48 22 18 8 136 120 52
7 Buffalo Sabres NE 48 22 19 7 130 119 51
8 New York Rangers AT 48 22 23 3 139 134 47
9 Florida Panthers AT 48 20 22 6 115 127 46
10 Hartford Whalers NE 48 19 24 5 127 141 43
11 Montreal Canadiens NE 48 18 23 7 125 148 43
12 Tampa Bay Lightning AT 48 17 28 3 120 144 37
13 New York Islanders AT 48 15 28 5 126 158 35
14 Ottawa Senators NE 48 9 34 5 117 174 23

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs


Playoffs

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In the first round of the playoffs, the Capitals faced their old rivals from 1991, 1992 and 1994, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Washington had defeated Pittsburgh in the first round one year earlier and were hoping to do the same in 1995. The series started out well for the Capitals, as they defeated the Penguins 5–4 in the opening game. In Game 2, Washington held a 3–1 lead after two periods, but Pittsburgh scored four times in the third period to win 5–3 and tie the series at 1–1. Washington won Games 3 and 4 at home by identical scores of 6–2. The two teams skated to a 5–5 tie in Game 5, and with just 4:30 into the first overtime period, Luc Robitaille scored his fourth of the playoffs to keep the Penguins alive in the series. Peter Bondra, Dale Hunter, Jaromir Jagr and Kevin Stevens each scored twice in the game. Leading three games to two, the Capitals had a chance to eliminate the Penguins on home ice in Game 6, but goaltender Jim Carey struggled, allowing six goals on just 13 shots. Washington got only one shot (by Keith Jones) past Pittsburgh goaltender Ken Wregget, who made 30 saves. The Penguins went on to win the game 7–1 and tied the series at three games apiece. Jaromir Jagr, Luc Robitaille and Tomas Sandstrom each scored twice. In Game 7, Carey played better than he had in Game 6, stopping 15 of 17 shots, but Ken Wregget was solid again and stopped all 33 Washington shots to get the shutout. Troy Murray would add an empty-net goal to give Pittsburgh a 3–0 win and the series victory, four games to three. It was the second time in four years that the Penguins had defeated the Capitals after trailing 3–1 in a playoff series.

Schedule and results

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Regular season

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1994–95 regular season[4]
January: 1–3–1 (home: 1–1–0; road: 0–2–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
1 T January 21, 1995 1–1 OT @ Hartford Whalers (1994–95) 0–0–1 Recap
2 L January 24, 1995 1–5 @ Quebec Nordiques (1994–95) 0–1–1 Recap
3 L January 25, 1995 0–2 @ Montreal Canadiens (1994–95) 0–2–1 Recap
4 W January 27, 1995 5–2 New York Islanders (1994–95) 1–2–1 Recap
5 L January 29, 1995 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins (1994–95) 1–3–1 Recap
February: 2–7–4 (home: 2–2–1; road: 0–5–3)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
6 L February 2, 1995 0–1 Buffalo Sabres (1994–95) 1–4–1 Recap
7 W February 4, 1995 3–2 Florida Panthers (1994–95) 2–4–1 Recap
8 L February 7, 1995 1–2 @ Buffalo Sabres (1994–95) 2–5–1 Recap
9 L February 8, 1995 4–5 @ New York Rangers (1994–95) 2–6–1 Recap
10 T February 11, 1995 1–1 OT @ Boston Bruins (1994–95) 2–6–2 Recap
11 L February 13, 1995 3–5 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1994–95) 2–7–2 Recap
12 L February 15, 1995 2–4 @ New Jersey Devils (1994–95) 2–8–2 Recap
13 W February 18, 1995 4–2 Quebec Nordiques (1994–95) 3–8–2 Recap
14 L February 20, 1995 0–2 New Jersey Devils (1994–95) 3–9–2 Recap
15 T February 23, 1995 5–5 OT @ Ottawa Senators (1994–95) 3–9–3 Recap
16 T February 25, 1995 3–3 OT @ New Jersey Devils (1994–95) 3–9–4 Recap
17 T February 26, 1995 1–1 OT Tampa Bay Lightning (1994–95) 3–9–5 Recap
18 L February 28, 1995 2–4 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1994–95) 3–10–5 Recap
March: 11–2–2 (home: 6–1–2; road: 5–1–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
19 W March 2, 1995 4–3 @ New York Islanders (1994–95) 4–10–5 Recap
20 W March 4, 1995 5–1 Montreal Canadiens (1994–95) 5–10–5 Recap
21 W March 5, 1995 4–2 New York Rangers (1994–95) 6–10–5 Recap
22 W March 7, 1995 3–1 @ Boston Bruins (1994–95) 7–10–5 Recap
23 T March 10, 1995 2–2 OT Ottawa Senators (1994–95) 7–10–6 Recap
24 W March 12, 1995 3–1 Tampa Bay Lightning (1994–95) 8–10–6 Recap
25 W March 13, 1995 3–0 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1994–95) 9–10–6 Recap
26 L March 16, 1995 1–5 @ Florida Panthers (1994–95) 9–11–6 Recap
27 W March 18, 1995 4–1 New York Rangers (1994–95) 10–11–6 Recap
28 W March 20, 1995 5–0 @ Hartford Whalers (1994–95) 11–11–6 Recap
29 W March 21, 1995 1–0 Ottawa Senators (1994–95) 12–11–6 Recap
30 T March 25, 1995 2–2 OT Philadelphia Flyers (1994–95) 12–11–7 Recap
31 L March 26, 1995 3–4 OT Hartford Whalers (1994–95) 12–12–7 Recap
32 W March 29, 1995 4–2 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1994–95) 13–12–7 Recap
33 W March 31, 1995 6–4 Quebec Nordiques (1994–95) 14–12–7 Recap
April: 7–6–1 (home: 5–2–0; road: 2–4–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
34 W April 2, 1995 2–1 Boston Bruins (1994–95) 15–12–7 Recap
35 W April 4, 1995 5–4 @ New York Islanders (1994–95) 16–12–7 Recap
36 L April 8, 1995 1–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1994–95) 16–13–7 Recap
37 L April 11, 1995 1–3 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1994–95) 16–14–7 Recap
38 L April 12, 1995 1–2 New Jersey Devils (1994–95) 16–15–7 Recap
39 W April 14, 1995 3–0 Florida Panthers (1994–95) 17–15–7 Recap
40 L April 16, 1995 2–4 @ Quebec Nordiques (1994–95) 17–16–7 Recap
41 L April 17, 1995 2–5 @ Montreal Canadiens (1994–95) 17–17–7 Recap
42 W April 21, 1995 6–3 Hartford Whalers (1994–95) 18–17–7 Recap
43 W April 22, 1995 2–1 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1994–95) 19–17–7 Recap
44 L April 24, 1995 4–5 @ New York Rangers (1994–95) 19–18–7 Recap
45 W April 26, 1995 6–5 New York Islanders (1994–95) 20–18–7 Recap
46 W April 28, 1995 5–1 Buffalo Sabres (1994–95) 21–18–7 Recap
47 T April 30, 1995 2–2 OT @ Florida Panthers (1994–95) 21–18–8 Recap
May: 1–0–0 (home: 1–0–0; road: 0–0–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
48 W May 2, 1995 7–2 Pittsburgh Penguins (1994–95) 22–18–8 Recap
Legend:

  Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

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1995 Stanley Cup playoffs[4]
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (3) Pittsburgh Penguins – Penguins win 4–3
Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap
1 W May 6, 1995 5–4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins Capitals lead 1–0 Recap
2 L May 8, 1995 3–5 @ Pittsburgh Penguins Series tied 1–1 Recap
3 W May 10, 1995 6–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Capitals lead 2–1 Recap
4 W May 12, 1995 6–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Capitals lead 3–1 Recap
5 L May 14, 1995 5–6 OT @ Pittsburgh Penguins Capitals lead 3–2 Recap
6 L May 16, 1995 1–7 Pittsburgh Penguins Series tied 3–3 Recap
7 L May 18, 1995 0–3 @ Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins win 4–3 Recap
Legend:

  Win   Loss

Player statistics

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Scoring

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  • Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
  • † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Capitals only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Capitals only.
No. Player Pos Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts +/- PIM
12 Peter Bondra RW 47 34 9 43 9 24 7 5 3 8 0 10
90 Joe Juneau C 44 5 38 43 −1 8 7 2 6 8 −2 2
20 Michal Pivonka C 46 10 23 33 3 50 7 1 4 5 2 21
6 Calle Johansson D 46 5 26 31 −6 35 7 3 1 4 6 0
8 Dmitri Khristich LW 48 12 14 26 0 41 7 1 4 5 4 0
22 Steve Konowalchuk LW 46 11 14 25 7 44 7 2 5 7 2 12
10 Kelly Miller LW 48 10 13 23 5 6 7 0 3 3 −2 4
32 Dale Hunter C 45 8 15 23 −4 101 7 4 4 8 0 24
26 Keith Jones RW 40 14 6 20 −2 65 7 4 4 8 −1 22
3 Sylvain Cote D 47 5 14 19 2 53 7 1 3 4 −9 2
4 Jim Johnson D 47 0 13 13 6 43 7 0 2 2 3 8
24 Mark Tinordi D 42 3 9 12 −5 71 1 0 0 0 −2 2
9 Dave Poulin C 29 4 5 9 2 10 2 0 0 0 −1 0
17 Sergei Gonchar D 31 2 5 7 4 22 7 2 2 4 8 2
29 Joe Reekie D 48 1 6 7 10 97 7 0 0 0 −4 2
27 Craig Berube LW 43 2 4 6 −5 173 7 0 0 0 −3 29
25 Rob Pearson RW 32 0 6 6 −6 96 3 1 0 1 0 17
2 Ken Klee D 23 3 1 4 2 41 7 0 0 0 1 4
36 Mike Eagles† C 13 1 3 4 2 8 7 0 2 2 1 4
14 Pat Peake C 18 0 4 4 −6 12 — — — — — —
41 Jason Allison C 12 2 1 3 −3 6 — — — — — —
34 Martin Gendron RW 8 2 1 3 3 2 — — — — — —
28 John Slaney D 16 0 3 3 −3 6 — — — — — —
23 Kevin Kaminski C 27 1 1 2 −6 102 5 0 0 0 −1 36
15 Jeff Nelson C 10 1 0 1 −2 2 — — — — — —
31 Rick Tabaracci‡ G 8 0 1 1 2 — — — — — —
44 Igor Ulanov† D 3 0 1 1 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 4
18 Randy Burridge‡ LW 2 0 0 0 0 2 — — — — — —
30 Jim Carey G 28 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 4
35 Byron Dafoe G 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
37 Olaf Kolzig G 14 0 0 0 4 2 0 0 0 0

Goaltending

[edit]
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Capitals only.
No. Player Regular season Playoffs
GP W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI GP W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
30 Jim Carey 28 18 6 3 654 57 2.13 .913 4 1604 7 2 4 151 25 4.19 .834 0 358
37 Olaf Kolzig 14 2 8 2 305 30 2.49 .902 0 724 2 1 0 21 1 1.35 .952 0 44
35 Byron Dafoe 4 1 1 1 80 11 3.53 .863 0 187 1 0 0 3 1 3.00 .667 0 20
31 Rick Tabaracci‡ 8 1 3 2 147 16 2.44 .891 0 394 — — — — — — — — —

Awards and records

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Awards

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Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(annual) 		NHL All-Rookie Team Jim Carey (Goaltender) [5]
League
(in-season) 		NHL Player of the Month Jim Carey (March) [6]
NHL Rookie of the Month Jim Carey (March) [6]

Milestones

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Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Ken Klee January 25, 1995 [7]
Sergei Gonchar February 7, 1995
Jim Carey March 2, 1995
Jeff Nelson March 5, 1995
Martin Gendron March 26, 1995
600th assist Dale Hunter January 27, 1995 [8]

Transactions

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Draft picks

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Washington's draft picks at the 1994 NHL Entry Draft held at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut.[9]

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 10 Nolan Baumgartner  Canada Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
1 15 Alexander Kharlamov  Russia CSKA Moscow (Russia)
2 41 Scott Cherrey  Canada North Bay Centennials (OHL)
4 93 Matt Herr  United States The Hotchkiss School (USHS-CT)
5 119 Yanick Jean  Canada Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)
6 145 Dmitri Mekeshkin  Russia Avangard Omsk (Russia)
7 171 Dan Reja  Canada London Knights (OHL)
8 197 Chris Patrick  United States Kent School (USHS-CT)
9 223 John Tuohy  United States South Kent School (USHS-CT)
10 249 Richard Zednik  Slovakia Banska Bystrica (Slovakia)
11 275 Sergei Tertyshny  Russia Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia)

See also

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References

[edit]
  • "Washington Capitals 1994-95 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  • "1994-95 Washington Capitals Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  1. ^ "1994-95 NHL Summary".
  2. ^ Standings: NHL Public Relations Department (2008). Dave McCarthy; et al. (eds.). THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Official Guide & Record Book/2009. National Hockey League. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-894801-14-0.
  3. ^ "1994-1995 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  4. ^ a b "1994-95 Washington Capitals Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  5. ^ "Postseason All-Star Teams". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Hochberg, Len (April 2, 1995). "CAREY SNARES PIECE OF HISTORY". Washington Post. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  7. ^ "1994-95 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  8. ^ Hochberg, Len (January 28, 1995). "CAPITALS BREAK ICE, GET FIRST WIN". Washington Post. Retrieved September 11, 2023. Captain Dale Hunter registered his 600th career assist.
  9. ^ "1994 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
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