Just when you thought the Washington Capitals’ (24-21-6) season couldn’t get any worse, it did. They fell to the league-worst Vancouver Canucks (17-28-5) 4-3 on Wednesday night.
The Capitals entered the second of their six-game road trip and laid an egg. The team now has four consecutive regulation losses.
It seemed like the Capitals would get it together with Tom Wilson back in the lineup. Unfortunately, inconsistency continues to be a factor.
Early on though, it looked the Capitals had a hold on Vancouver. They went up 2-0 when Dylan Strome scored on the 5-on-3, and Justin Sourdif added a tally seconds later.
However, Vancouver responded with two goals to tie it up in the opening frame. Then, they scored two more make it 4-2 in the second.
The Capitals attempted a late rally as Strome scored his second goal cut the deficit to one. However, they fell short against a team they should have beaten.
Next up, the Capitals continue their road trip up north as they visit Calgary on Friday night.
Capitals Analysis
The Capitals got Wilson back after he missed the last eight games with a lower-body injury. That result signified some hope that the team would beat lowly Vancouver.
It seemed so at first when the Capitals went on the power play and then a 5-on-3. That’s when a perfect passing play led to Wilson feeding the puck to Strome for a slam dunk home.
Then, 1:18 later on the 5-on-4, Strome found Sourdif in front as he snuck the puck past Kevin Lankinen. The Capitals sat comfortably with a 2-0 lead in the first.
However, the lead didn’t last long as Vancouver quickly caught up in the opening period. Brock Boeser and Evander Kane both scored on Logan Thompson to tie the game up at 2-2.
Then, in the middle frame, Vancouver completely swung the momentum in their favor with goals from Drew O’Connor and Filip Hronek. Just a reminder that this team had lost 11 straight games.
The Capitals attempted a late rally as they just weren’t clicking on the 5-on-5 compared to the power play. However, they struck gold when Strome shot the puck through three defenders for his second goal.
Unfortunately, the comeback fell through as the Capitals suffered their fourth consecutive loss. One of the biggest problems in this game was the team not getting enough pucks on net.
Capitals Report Card
Team: C+
The Capitals had the momentum early on but then lost it, resulting in an unacceptable loss. The team has a lot of explaining to do at this point.
Dylan Strome: A
Strome struck twice in this game, first on the 5-on-3 in the first, and then late in regulation. He now has 12 goals on the year.
Justin Sourdif: A
Sourdif finished with a couple points (one goal, one assist), as the rookie now has 10 goals this season.
Tom Wilson: B+
Wilson looked solid in his first game back on the ice since earlier this month. He logged 20:20 of ice time and added an assist to extend his point streak to four games.
John Carlson: B+
The veteran Carlson finished with two assists, both on Strome’s tallies. He now has 600 on his career.
Logan Thompson: B-
This loss wasn’t entirely Thompson’s fault. He did end up stopping 21 of 25 shots.
