It’s been a rough past two games for the Washington Capitals (18-11-4). Once again, the team gave up five goals and was shut out 5-0 by the Minnesota Wild (20-9-5) on Tuesday night.
Like the previous game against Winnipeg, the Capitals just haven’t been able to find their spark offensively. The chemistry was off as it resulted in multiple line adjustments from Spencer Carbery.
It also didn’t help that Minnesota is on a hot streak and has now won five in a row. The team also just acquired Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes from Vancouver.
The game wasn’t as big of a blowout early on, as Minnesota scored one goal in each of the first two periods. However, things got out of hand in the third as the Capitals gave up three more tallies.
“The intangibles, we just didn’t control those tonight,” said John Carlson. “It’s a recipe for losing.”
The Capitals have now lost three consecutive games and four of their last five. After a rough two-game road trip, they return home to face Toronto on Thursday night.
Capitals Analysis
For the past few games, the Capitals just haven’t found the right chemistry or generated chances to win. Tuesday was the same story as they were simply outplayed.
Minnesota did a good job of blocking shots and breaking up chances when the Capitals tried to score. Filip Gustavsson also denied every shot that went his way as he made 25 saves.
Carbery once again changed up the lines heading into the third. Justin Sourdif moved from center to first-line wing to work alongside Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome. Connor McMichael replaced Sourdif to operate with wingers Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson on the second line. Finally, Anthony Beauvillier replaced McMichael on the fourth line with Nic Dowd and Brandon Duhaime.
Charlie Lindgren made his big return since recovering from an upper-body injury. He stopped 27 of 32 shots as his first game back didn’t go as planned, but it wasn’t all his fault.
The Capitals lacked discipline especially on special teams. The team took three penalties which eventually led to a power play goal from Kirill Kaprizov.
The Capitals didn’t fare much better on the man advantage. The team went 0-for-2 and gave up a shorthanded goal from Matt Boldy late in the game. Ryan Leonard was a key piece to the Capitals’ power play unit, but his absence is deeply felt on the ice.
As a result, the Capitals have now gone 1-for-15 on the man advantage over the last 15 games.
Capitals Report Card
Team: F
Just another flat performance from the Capitals as they weren’t able to get going offensively. They lacked discipline and haven’t been able to find chemistry or generate chances.
Charlie Lindgren: C
Lindgren tried as he made 27 saves in his return. But his teammates in front didn’t do him any favors.
Capitals Special Teams: D
The Capitals’ special teams is still struggling, as they went 0-for-2 on the man advantage and are missing Leonard badly. However, the penalty kill fared slightly better going 2-for-3.
