After starting the year slow, Washington Capitals defenders have been scoring goals at a higher clip recently. Dmitry Orlov tallied two goals on January 23 against the Hurricanes, and John Carlson scored twice against the Lightning a month earlier. In the month of January, Capitals defensemen scored ten goals total.
That’s why I was shocked when I heard this next stat. While doing some research on San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns, Sportsnet’s Dimitri Filipovic came up with this amazing graph.
Graph by @DimFilipovic
In total, Burns has outscored the entire defensive corps of 13 NHL teams and is tied with two others, the Chicago Blackhawks and New Jersey Devils.
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| John Carlson | 5 |
| Matt Niskanen | 4 |
| Dmitry Orlov | 4 |
| Karl Alzner | 3 |
| Nate Schmidt | 1 |
| Taylor Chorney | 1 |
| Brooks Orpik | 0 |
| Total | 18 |
Brent Burns has more goals (22) than the entire Caps defense combined (18).
What a time to be alive.
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Headline photo: Harry How
