Connor McMichael recorded his 100th career NHL point for the Washington Capitals against the Seattle Kraken on Sunday. McMichael grabbed an assist on Martin Fehervary’s game-tying, second-period goal to reach the mark and later scored the game-winning goal.
While McMichael’s round-number milestone was overshadowed by Alex Ovechkin’s 1,600th career point, the 24-year-old forward’s contributions to the team’s 4-2 win were still recognized by head coach Spencer Carbery postgame. Carbery believes McMichael is back doing the things that made him so successful earlier in the 2024-25 campaign.
“Yeah, he’s played better, for sure,” Carbery said Sunday. “He went through a stretch there where he was just a little bit off, and I felt like it was just his skating. He was trying to beat guys one-on-one a lot and without speed. Like, you can try to beat guys when you’re skating. When he’s skating at full speed, you’re going to put guys in some really, really difficult spots and you’re beating people one-on-one.
“When you’re not skating and you don’t have any speed and you try to beat people in this league, you’re dead in the water. So now I feel like he’s back to really playing at a high, high tempo. And so when he gets the puck and when he’s attacking the defenseman, he’s got him on his heels, and now he’s able to win those one-on-one situations through the neutral zone, off the rush.”
After starting the season with 24 points (14g, 10a) in 24 games in October and November, McMichael cooled off significantly in December and January. In 27 games in the latter two months, he posted just 14 points (4g, 10a). He is back near a point-per-game production level in February and March, notching 12 points (5g, 7a) in his last 13 games.
McMichael’s goal on Sunday came down low in front of Kraken netminder Joey Daccord, an area of the ice he had a ton of success with earlier in the season.
“I think he went through a little stretch where he wasn’t getting around the net, but if you remember the beginning of the year, he was one of the most successful in-tight goal-scorers in the National Hockey League,” Carbery said. “You look at him and go, ‘He’s scoring more goals around the net than anybody in the league or up there with the top guys in the league?’ And I think he’s gotten back to that of getting to the inside. Tonight was a prime example of him being right there on the crease.”
McMichael also reached the 50-point mark (23g, 27a) in the win, the first time he has recorded 50 points in a single season since his final junior campaign with the OHL’s London Knights. Among all under-25 skaters in the NHL, he ranks 13th in overall scoring and seventh in goals.
The Ajax, Ontario native credits his more recent success to the league’s 4 Nations Face-Off break, which saw the Caps have 13 days between games in February.
“Yeah, I think the break was good for me just to reset mentally and physically and come back fresh,” McMichael said. “I think that was the biggest attribute to that. I mean, for me, coming out, playing with speed again, making plays, and not standing still and hoping for pucks. So, I think just coming out strong in the second half here and building some confidence.”
McMichael will look to add to his big year with three games against Californian teams this week. Historically, he has not had success against the Anaheim Ducks or San Jose Sharks, going without a point in nine combined career games against the two teams. However, he has four points (2g, 2a) in five games against the Los Angeles Kings.
