Early adversity nothing new for defending champions
Around this time a year ago, there was a nervous feeling around the Washington Capitals’ locker room. The team had scuffled out of the gate, 6-6-1 through the first 13 games, and while Washington had shown flashes of the talented team it could be, it also revealed some glaring defensive deficiencies.
“There was maybe a little bit of doubt last year, I think,” defenseman Matt Niskanen said. “We all saw the potential, but it wasn’t happening, so sometimes it’s hard to see yourself bursting through.”
These Capitals have gotten off to a similar start. After Monday’s 4-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers, they’re 6-4-3 with sloppy play and uneven goaltending a pattern in all of the losses. But what last year’s Stanley Cup-winning season taught Washington is that some early adversity can be a good thing and building a champion is a process. That’s why even as the Capitals have yet to win two games in a row, they’ve remained cool and confident.
“Wewould love to be playing better and doing better, but when we turn this thing around, is anyone going to care about this time in March or April? No,” Niskanen said. “The main thing is we need to keep working and get better.
“Winning a pile of games in October maybe feels good at the time, but it’s not going to guarantee us success throughout the year or when it really matters. ... I mean, we need to play better, but keep the big picture in mind, too, before we start secondguessing how we play or secondguessing our potential. We know we can do it, and we believe in the way that this group needs to play. And there’s going to be some finer details that change along the way depending on what’s happening, but you just keep working at it.”
Even in the Capitals’ past three games, there’s been gradual improvement. In Montreal on Friday, Washington overcame an early two-goal deficit to go into the third period with a lead, but mismanaged the puck, Defenseman Matt Niskanen, left, said, “When we turn this thing around, is anyone going to care about this time in March or April? No.” trading chances with the Canadiens rather than button-down defensively. The result was allowing three goals in the last three minutes of the game to leave Montreal with a regulation loss. Washington played better against Dallas on Saturday, but the Capitals were doomed by ceding all four goals off turnovers. Two nights later, the Capitals limited a talented Oilers top-six forward corps to one powerplay goal and another goal that came just as a man-advantage expired.
“We really talked about some team defense and getting the things that have given us success in the past, away from the puck and at times with the puck, back in our game,” forward T.J. Oshie said. “So, that’s everyone coming back and stopping . . . in front of the net there defensively and then branching out from there. And offensively, making good puck decisions, realizing at big moments in the game and at certain moments in the game, you just have to get the puck in - after we score or after they score or maybe after a momentum shift.”
Washington has three games left in this homestand, and the next two in particular will be tests with the Capitals facing Metropolitan Division foes Pittsburgh and Columbus, teams they ousted this past postseason. Goaltender Braden Holtby is expected to be back in net for both games, and in his first 10 games, he’s 4-3-2 with a 3.62 goals against average and an .888 save percentage. Just like his teammates, he’s had moments of brilliance and also some costly blunders. His play took a dive in February last season, but the Capitals had an experienced understudy in Philipp Grubauer to spell Holtby as he got his game back on track for the postseason. There’s less margin for error this season with Pheonix Copley as the backup goaltender; he’s played in just six NHL games in his career.
Last year provided a lesson for Holtby’s struggles, too. They were in large part because Washington was bleeding high- danger scoring chances, and then he thrived in the playoffs when the team’s team defense was much-improved. Niskanen said there wasn’t one “aha moment,” but a series of adjustments throughout the season that added up.