Photo: Ebay
With the Washington Capitals celebrating their 50th anniversary, NoVa Caps is summarizing each of the organization’s previous 49 seasons, from earliest to most recent. The 1987-88 season was the 14th NHL season for the Washington Capitals.
The Capitals amassed a 38-33-9 record in 80 games for 85 points, which was second in the Patrick Division. It was one point worse than their previous season but tied for 7th best in the NHL for the regular season. The Capitals ranked 15th out of 21 for goals scored and 2nd out of 21 for goals given up.
The regular season was somewhat of a roller coaster ride. They had a four-game winning streak in October but then had a four-game losing streak in November. With those two streaks on their ledger, they were 8-8-1 after their game on November 14. There were no major streaks or slumps in December but after their last game of calendar year 1987, they were 16-17-5.
The second half of the season was much better. They won their first four games of 1988 and from February 11 through March 6, lost just one game out of twelve played. They had no losing streak of more than three games. On the negative side of the ledger, they won just one game after March 17.
They met the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round and won a seven-game series against them. They had fallen behind three games to none but roared back to win the series. They advanced to the second round and met the lower-seeded New Jersey Devils who beat them in seven games.
Notable Capitals Draftees in 1987 NHL Draft
- Steve Maltais (3rd round — #57 overall)
General Manager: David Poile
Head Coaches: Bryan Murray
Captain: Rod Langway
Leaders
Goals: Mike Gartner (48), Dave Christian (37)
Assists: Scott Stevens (60), Larry Murphy (53)
Points: Mike Gartner (81), Scott Stevens (72)
Penalty Minutes: Dale Hunter (240), Scott Stevens (184)
Photo: Capitals Yearbook 1987-88
Notable Trades
- June 13, 1987 – Traded Gaetan Duchesne, Alan Haworth, and their 1987 1st round pick (#15) to Quebec Nordiques for Dale Hunter and Clint Malarchuk
- August 27, 1987 – Traded 1988 5th round pick to New York Ranger for Peter Sundstrom
- December 11, 1987 – Traded Paul Cavallini to St. Louis Blues for 2nd round pick
- February 9, 1988 – Traded Craig Laughlin to the Los Angeles Kings for Grant Ledyard
CAPITALS IDENTIFIED BY SPLIT PERSONALITY – The Washington Post
CAPITALS SAT BACK WITH A LEAD, AND ENDED UP WITH A LOSS – The Washington Post
Previous Summaries
1974-75 Season
1975-76 Season
1976-77 Season
1977-78 Season
1978-79 Season
1979-80 Season
1980-81 Season
1981-82 Season
1982-83 Season
1983-84 Season
1984-85 Season
1985-86 Season
1986-87 Season
By Diane Doyle
