Capitals enter postseason hobbled and without momentum

Alex Ovechkin got the goals record. The Capitals clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference. But Washington is entering the postseason lacking momentum amid their worst stretch of play this season.

Despite a win against the New York Islanders on Tuesday night, the Capitals have looked like a shadow of themselves. After trading blows with the Winnipeg Jets in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy, a run of poor play caused Washington to fall behind in recent weeks.

The Eastern Conference-leading Capitals have won just five of their 11 games since March 25. In the process, they’ve allowed at least three goals in 10 of those matchups.

“Obviously, it’s not ideal. There’s been a lot going on,” Capitals alternate captain Tom Wilson told reporters this week. “We don’t want to make excuses. … At this time of year, it’s such a fine line as to winning and losing, and we just got to learn from this.”

After a remarkably healthy season, the injury bug bit the Capitals in the last month.

Goaltender Logan Thompson has missed six consecutive games with an “upper-body injury” since taking a puck to the head against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 2.

Thompson, who signed a lucrative extension in January, was in the midst of a career year. His 2.49 goals allowed average ranked seventh in the NHL, while his .910 save percentage sat just outside the Top 10.

His replacements have struggled.

Fellow netminder Charlie Lindgren split time with Thompson during the season, but more goals have snuck in this month. Analysts have pointed the finger at an inconsistent Washington defense, but Lindgren has accepted much of the blame.

“Right now, just from a results standpoint, I want to let in less goals, 100%,” Lindgren said last week. “I don’t like letting in three goals every single game. I want to get that number down.”

The goalie situation behind Lindgren is even scarier. AHL journeyman Hunter Shepherd started Saturday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets to give Lindgren a needed day off.

Shepherd allowed seven goals, saving just 73% of the shots he faced in Washington’s 7-0 loss. The Capitals sent him back to the minor league Hershey Bears.

Less than 24 hours later, Thompson returned to the ice at practice. The 28-year-old had not faced any shots ahead of Wednesday’s practice, though skating was an important part of his recovery.

Thompson joined the Capitals on their season-ending road trip, joining the team for Tuesday’s trip to Long Island and Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Capitals coach Spencer Carbery has not said when Thompson could return to the lineup, though it seems likely that he’ll be in the net for at least part of the upcoming first-round playoff series.

The timeline is hazier for center Aliaksei Protas. The 24-year-old has been sidelined since suffering a cut on his foot during the April 4 game against the Chicago Blackhawks. He’s been hobbling around Washington games with the help of a walking boot and crutches.

“He’ll be a little bit longer,” Carbery said Sunday. “Hoping that he touches the ice at some point this week.”

Protas had scored a career-high 30 goals before the injury and was tied for second in the league in plus-minus before Wednesday’s games.

An illness for defenseman Jakob Chychrun — the 27-year-old missed three of Washington’s last four games — created a recipe for a skid as key contributors were stuck on the bench.

“The Gr8 Chase,” Ovechkin’s hunt for Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record, was also a complicating factor.

Now two goals ahead of “The Great One,” the Capitals’ captain is preparing his team for the postseason.

“We big boys, we know what’s on the line,” Ovechkin told The Hockey News. “I don’t think something’s wrong. … I think mentally, you just have to be ready for that kind of game in the playoffs.”

The Capitals end the regular season in Pittsburgh on Thursday with a game against the rival Penguins.

NHL officials have not said when Washington would begin its first-round series, which will feature the Montreal Canadiens or the Columbus Blue Jackets.