Ranking the 5 Most Lethal Duos in Washington Capitals History

The Washington Capitals must rely on five skaters during the course of a game.

Sometimes that number is six.

Sometimes that number is four. Or even three.

But at certain times, that number becomes two.

There are special periods throughout the Capitals history when two players have come together to achieve singular success: an awesome twosome, a potent pair, a lethal duo.

Here are the five most lethal duos in Washington Capitals history, with one honorable mention.

Note: All statistics courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.

Honorable Mention: Alex Ovechkin (LW) and Mike Green (D)

Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green receive honorable mention because they share the ice during a very short but very specific time of each game.

Ovechkin and Green are on the ice during crunch time. And they excel together.

In terms of power-play goals, Ovechkin is second in franchise history with 127, trailing Peter Bondra by only 10 goals. Green is 16th with 48 and ranks fourth in that category among defensemen, trailing Sergei Gonchar for first place by only five goals (NHL.com).

For game-winning goals, Ovechkin is second with 59 and Green is fourth among defensemen with 16 (NHL.com).

But for these two, overtime is prime time.

Ovechkin and Green rank one-two in franchise overtime goals, with 12 and seven, respectively. To fully illustrate their dominance in the extra session, look at these two facts (NHL.com):

1. Ovechkin is the only Capitals skater to reach double digits in overtime goals.
2. Green is the only Capitals defensemen with more than two overtime goals.

That type of performance is definitely worth mentioning.

5. Peter Bondra (RW) and Adam Oates (C)

Peter Bondra began playing for the Washington Capitals during the 1990-91 season but did not team up with Adam Oates until part way through the 1996-97 season. Once the Canadian center joined the Russian winger, the two were dynamite together.

Oates played with Bondra until the center was traded during the 2001-02 season. Over that time, Oates compiled 363 points in only 387 games. Oates ranks 18th in franchise history in points, yet of the players ranked ahead of him on that list, only Dennis Maruk needed fewer games (NHL.com).

Peter Bondra was Oates' linemate, and was the primary beneficiary of his production. Bondra scored 149 goals during the four full seasons that Oates was in Washington.

The first of those seasons was 1997-98. During that year, Bondra scored 52 goals with 78 points while Oates fueled the attack with 58 assists and 76 points.

The 2000-01 season was even more explosive for this pair. Bondra scored 45 goals with 81 points and Oates racked up 69 assists and 82 points.

Bondra and Oates exploded for a total of 535 points in their four full seasons as a duo.

4. Rod Langway (D) and Kevin Hatcher (D)

Rod Langway and Kevin Hatcher were frequently paired together while playing defense for the Capitals between 1984-1993. They formed perhaps the most balanced defensive pair in franchise history. And the pair's lethality came in many different forms.

Langway was lethal to any opponent's offensive attack. The "Minister of Defense" was an elite shutdown defender who won the Norris Trophy in 1982-83 and 1983-84, his first two seasons in Washington.

Langway's Norris Trophy victories become even more impressive when you consider that the defensive-minded American broke a 13-year streak in which the winner of the award tallied at least 14 goals and 75 points. Langway had a combined total of 12 goals and 65 points for his two award-winning seasons.

During his 11 seasons in Washington, Langway compiled the best plus/minus rating in franchise history with a plus-117, while logging 504 penalty minutes, ranking 20th for the Capitals (NHL.com).

Langway's partner on the blue line was lethal in the other team's zone. Kevin Hatcher was highly skilled on offense, and his propensity to join the rush perfectly complimented Langway's stay-at-home style.

Hatcher's best season in Washington was 1992-93, his last with Langway as a teammate. Hatcher scored 34 goals with 45 assists for 79 points. On the power play alone, the Michigan native scored 15 goals with 20 assists for 35 points. That season marked Hatcher's sixth straight with double-digit goals, something he did his last seven years in Washington.

Among Capitals franchise records for defensemen, Hatcher ranks first in goals with 149, third in assists with 277 and third in points with 426. Among all Capitals skaters, Hatcher is sixth in penalty minutes with 999 (NHL.com).

With this pair, opponents were forced to pick their poison.

3. Michal Pivonka (C) and Peter Bondra (RW)

Michal Pivonka played for the Washington Capitals from 1986-99, and it's easy to see why he's considered one of the five greatest centers in franchise history.

According to Pivonka's Capitals Alumni Profile, the arrival of Peter Bondra in 1990-91 created a perfect match (Capitals.com):

"

By the early nineties, fellow countryman Petr [sic] Bondra joined the club, uniting with Pivonka to make an effective offensive duo. In tandem, they raised each other's game with Pivonka scoring a career-high 80 points in 80 games during the 1991-92 campaign.

"

Pivonka would later set a new carer high in points in 1995-96 while helping Bondra set his own career high in goals with 52. That was the first time in his career that Bondra reached the 50-goal milestone.

This pair would team up for six full seasons, from 1990-1996, before the arrival of Adam Oates caused the couple to split. In that time, Pivonka and Bondra combined for 723 points.

When reviewing each of their careers in Washington, Bondra ranks first in franchise history in points with 825, while Pivonka ranks fourth with 599. In games played for the Capitals, Bondra is second and Pivonka fifth. 

Don't worry. I double Czeched those stats.

2. Alex Ovechkin (LW) and Nicklas Backstrom (C)

Yin and Yang.

PB and J.

Batman and Robin.

Like all great partnerships, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom have been nearly inseparable since Backstrom debuted in 2007-08. Since then, the two have been nearly unstoppable, as well.

During that period, Ovechkin reached the 100-point plateau three times and Backstrom reached it once. Ovechkin also had one 60-goal season and two 50-goal seasons while winning three Rocket Richard Trophies in the process.

In that same six-year span, Ovechkin has 537 points and Backstrom has 415, for a total of 952. 

This pairing has helped catapult Ovechkin to third place in franchise history in goals, fourth in assists and third in points, while Backstrom has already shot up to 10th place in assists and 14th in points (NHL.com).

Now, do not be alarmed that Ovechkin and Backstrom are ranked second on this list of most lethal duos in Washington Capitals history and not first. My ranking of the Capitals' five greatest centers should have served as sufficient warning.

1. Mike Gartner (RW) and Bengt-Ake Gustafsson (LW)

One has his sweater number retired by the Capitals yet is known better as a member of another team.

The other is largely forgotten amongst a myriad of productive players for the Capitals during the 1980s.

But together, Mike Gartner and Bengt-Ake Gustafsson formed the most lethal duo in Capitals history.

Gartner and Gustafsson perfectly overlapped in Washington, as they both played for the Capitals from 1979-89. Due to multiple injuries, Gustafsson played 129 fewer games for the Caps than Gartner.

When they were both on the ice together, the two were deadly. Joe Pelletier of WashingtonCapitalsLegends.com detailed this combination when discussing Gustafsson's career:

"

His best season came in 1983-84 when he scored a career high 32 goals and 75 points while playing with linemates Dave Christian and Mike Gartner. Gustafsson had a particularly memorable game on January 8, 1984 in Philadelphia. He tied a club record for most goals in a game with 5! Gus scored on every shot he took that game.

"

That same season, Gartner scored 40 goals with 45 assists for 85 points. The Hall of Fame winger registered the only 50-goal campaign of his storied career the following season.

In Capitals franchise history, Gartner is second in both goals and assists with 397 and 392, respectively, while Gustafsson is sixth in assists with 359. In terms of points, Gartner is second with 789 and Gustafsson is sixth with 555. Together, Gartner and Gustafsson combined for a staggering 1,344 points.

That is why they are the most lethal duo in Washington Capitals history. Of course, it helps that they both belong to the old school.