Capitals have overcome possible setbacks during strong start

In a two-week span, everything hit the Capitals at once. First, four games into the season, four key starters were added to the NHL’s coronavirus protocol list. Then came the flurry of day-to-day injuries that add up nonetheless, pitting Washington in an uncomfortable position from the off.

“It seems like we’re kind of dropping like flies here,” T.J. Oshie said with a laugh, a winger who’s playing center out of necessity.

But 10 games into a campaign with a new head coach and limited practice time beforehand, the Capitals have managed to ride that storm of possible setbacks to a 6-1-3 record. They’ll get back on the ice Thursday against the New York Rangers with a chance to continue a fast start.

There’s a cliché in sports whenever a team loses a player: those who remain adopt a next-man-up mentality. That’s the case here, though, with 11 different skaters finding the net in the four games Washington played without Alex Ovechkin.

The Capitals have received contributions up and down the lineup, from familiar and unfamiliar faces, setting the team up with the second-best record in the East Division despite the rocky circumstances.

“The guys are pulling together,” Oshie said. “The guys that are coming into the lineup are really doing a fantastic job for us, Vitek [Vanecek] probably being the best one of that group. It’s just been fun to come together and find different ways to get wins.”

The initial hurdle appeared four games into the season, when Ovechkin, Dmitry Orlov, Ilya Samsonov and Evgeny Kuznetsov all landed on the coronavirus protocol list and the NHL fined Washington $100,000 for breaching rules. Those players had hung out in a hotel room together during the team’s four-game road trip.

Ovechkin and Orlov have since returned, but Samsonov and Kuznetsov remain out. That’s propelled Vanecek into the primary role in goal, and the rookie netminder has taken the challenge well — he earned rookie of the month honors for January.

With other injuries soon mounting — such as day-to-day maladies for defenseman Justin Schultz, winger Conor Sheary and centers Lars Eller and Brian Pinho — the reshuffling began. Oshie is one of those moving pieces, filling a void at center.

“There’s been some ups and downs already, and that’s probably going to be a theme for the season,” Tom Wilson said. “With the whole covid protocol and injuries … to say that we’re going to be out of the woods all of a sudden isn’t the case. So just have guys continuing to step up and do their job and pick up the slack, it’s been great to see so far, and we’ve got to keep that going.”

Coach Peter Laviolette has led the Capitals to 15 points in his first 10 games in charge, tying the franchise record for most points for a new coach this early in the season. Wilson said Laviolette is “extremely honest” and he gains players’ trust that way. They buy in to Laviolette’s system and thinking, and barring Monday’s 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins, the results have followed.

Still, Monday’s third-period collapse showed there are issues. It was the second straight game in which Washington blew a three-goal lead.

“The game’s not where we want it to be,” Laviolette said. “There are things that we’re doing well. There are lapses. There are things that we aren’t doing well and things we can get better at. And regardless of the lineup, we’re going to have to do those things, because that changes on a daily basis.”

But considering the injuries and coronavirus interruptions the Capitals have already traversed 10 games into the season, the 15 points earned — putting them firmly in the playoff spots in a competitive division — displays the perseverance in the group.

“This is the hand that we’re dealt right now,” Laviolette said. “It is what it is. We’ve got to win games, we’ve got to show up and compete and get the job done. And a lot of guys have stepped up and played really well, and we’ve been able to get points.”