After Sunday, John Scott Now 0-for-2 With Predictions For Capitals Season

Just a couple of days before opening night for the 2021-22 campaign, former NHL tough guy and 2016 NHL All-Star MVP John Scott made two predictions surrounding the Washington Capitals. Fast forward to the end of the regular season, and he missed the mark on both.

On Hockey Fights’ “Dropping The Gloves” podcast, Scott declared that the Capitals would not make the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and would not reach the same level of play that has helped them make the playoffs for the last seven seasons.

“I think they’re going to be garbage. All of their players are older. They’ve lost the last two years. I just don’t see it happening this year… the Capitals are just going to be a hot mess,” Scott said on the podcast in October.

Washington (42-23-10) has experienced some inconsistency over the course of the season), but has been able to turn around its play of late with five wins in its last six outings. On their off-day on Sunday, the Capitals clinched the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New York Islanders, who made the Eastern Conference Finals each of the last two seasons, in regulation 4-2 to end the Isles’ playoff hopes.

This marks the eighth consecutive postseason appearance for Washington and the team’s second trip to the playoffs under head coach Peter Laviolette. Laviolette’s 79 postseason victories rank 15th in Stanley Cup Playoffs history.

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Not only did Scott wrongly predict that the Capitals would fall short of the playoffs, but he also said that captain Alex Ovechkin, who signed a five-year extension over the offseason with the hopes of capturing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record over that span, wouldn’t come close to his same production.

“Ovechkin’s done, I think they’re just gonna shut it right down,” Scott said. I don’t think any of those guys are gonna have a good season. I think Ovi’s not going even come close to Gretzky’s number I don’t think he’s going to touch 30 goals this year.”

The Great 8 got off to the best start of his career at the age of 36 and has been having one of his most productive seasons to date. He currently sits fourth in the NHL’s scoring race with 47 goals and 86 points. He started the season at sixth on the NHL’s all-time goals list, just one behind Marcel Dionne for a tie for fifth. 73 games later, he is in sole possession of third on the NHL’s all-time goals list after passing Jaromir Jagr with his 767th goal on March 15.

Right now, Ovechkin sits at 777 goals and is 23 away from 800, 25 away from passing Gordie Howe and 118 away from breaking Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 goals. Also, he is the highest-scoring European player of all time.

“It is [crazy], but I’m still playing. You never know what’s going to happen in the future,” Ovechkin said. “You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I’m happy I did it, and we did it as a team. Now it’s just a period of time. And if I can do it, I will. If something happen, I’m happy.”