Harry Lichtman
Check out the Washington Capitals news, items, stories, and content you may have missed on Monday.
Washington Capitals News
It’s been a rough week for the Washington Capitals. After starting the season 6-3-0, the team has lost four consecutive games and now sits at 6-5-1.
The Capitals have had various problems in their last four games, whether it’s injuries or special teams. Again, it is early in the season, so surely head coach Spencer Carbery will lead his team in the right direction.
One area the Capitals have really struggled in early on in the season is the power play. The team went 0-for-13 on the man advantage in the latest back-to-back against the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres. Very unusual for a team once dominant on the power play.
The team’s problems on the man advantage have included getting set up and creating plays, entries, and turnovers. They even gave up a shorthanded goal in the 3-1 loss to the Islanders.
Speaking of the power play, captain Alex Ovechkin has only scored two goals in 12 games to start the season. Everybody is waiting for Ovechkin to score one more tally to get to 900 on his career.
It’s been a slow start for The Great 8 compared to last year when he finished with 44 goals. However, it could be reminiscent of the 2023-24 season, where he started off with a rough first half but finished with 30-plus tallies. Not to mention Ovechkin just turned 40 years old and was hurt in training camp.
In terms of injuries, the Capitals have had to deal with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Rasmus Sandin being out. On Monday, Carbery announced that Dubois would miss “an extended period of time.”
Dubois went down with a lower-body injury in the Capitals’ loss to the Islanders on Friday night. The forward will undergo more testing to determine if he will require surgery.
As for Sandin, he was a full participant in practice on Monday, skating in a regular jersey. The defenseman has missed the past five games due to an upper-body injury.
The Capitals have another back-to-back set for Wednesday and Thursday to get back on track. First, they will host the St. Louis Blues in D.C. and then visit the rival Penguins in Pittsburgh.
National Hockey Now Network
If there’s one thing we’ve learned on the New Jersey Devils’ latest road trip, it’s that their blueline is becoming exposed. With seemingly no internal solution, perhaps an early Devils trade is necessary. [New Jersey Devils]
What a month it’s been for the Avalanche. After defeating the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Friday, the Avs (7-1-4) became the last remaining team to have only one regulation loss. [Colorado Avalanche]
