Capitals ‘slapped in the face’ by four straight losses
The Washington Capitals have four straight regulation losses for the first time in two and a half seasons. Their defence has been shredded for 17 goals during that skid, and superstar Alex Ovechkin is mired in the longest goal-scoring drought of his career.
No wonder the doors to the visitors’ dressing room stayed shut for an awfully long time after the overall NHL leaders concluded a miserable California road swing with a 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night.
“We’re trying to do good things, and maybe we deserve a little better, but it doesn’t really matter at this point,” defenceman John Carlson said. “I truly believe that you get slapped in the face a lot throughout the year, and you can pout about it, or get over it and get better.”
Indeed, the Capitals seem to be at a crossroads as they return home for a visit from Western Conference-leading Minnesota tonight.
Washington (44-17-7) has been on top of the Metropolitan Division and the overall NHL standings since Jan. 15, but the
Pittsburgh Penguins visited Calgary on Monday with the chance to move on top.
“If we’re good enough to be a championship team, we will get through this,” All-Star goalie Braden Holtby said.
The Capitals have rarely played two straight bad games during coach Barry Trotz’s tenure, but they’ve now played four stinkers in a row, losing by a combined 17-8. They were trounced in succession by the Sharks, Kings and Ducks in a four-night stretch out on the West Coast.
“Adversity is a great teacher,” Trotz said. “We haven’t had a lot in the last couple of years.”
Yet Washington’s veteran core knows it can’t wait much longer to learn its lessons for the post-season. The Caps are 5-6-1 since their mid-February bye week, and they’ve scored more than two goals in a game just twice.
“We just haven’t quite adjusted to everyone else playing playoff hockey quite yet,” Holtby said. “That’s something we know. We realize in our room that we’re going to have to adjust and step up. We’re just a little bit behind as a group ... I think it’s a good eye-opener, and a good wakeup call.”