Sluggish Capitals look to turn tide, end losing skid on upcoming road trip

It’s hard to win in the NHL without scoring goals. The Capitals — and 40-year-old captain Alex Ovechkin — have learned that the hard way during their ongoing four-game losing streak.

The path back to winning hockey requires the Capitals to find goals, especially on the power play. 

Washington ranks 27th in goals per game and power play percentage — a stark change from the high-powered attack that ranked second in scoring last season.

Washington’s goaltending duo of Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren has impressed, leading the NHL in goals allowed per game this year. It hasn’t translated to wins over the last week.

“Reflecting last year to this year, what looks different? Why? Scoring at a high rate covers up a lot of things that might be going on underneath the hood,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. “When you’re not scoring, now you start dissecting everything you’re doing. You can’t make certain mistakes.”

Miscues on the power play have been particularly costly. Washington has been effective in 5-on-5 situations with a +6 goal differential on the season. In full-strength situations, only two opponents have outscored the Capitals this season.

But the failure to capitalize with an extra man on the ice has doomed the Capitals. Carbery’s squad lost in a shootout to the Buffalo Sabres, despite having three power-play opportunities in a span of ten minutes in the third period on Saturday. The Capitals couldn’t convert.

Carbery still isn’t ready to make wide-scale changes to the power-play unit.

“There’s enough there for us to believe that they can get this on track. Does it happen? I’m not sure; I hope so,” he said. “Do we think and believe they can be successful? Yes. Is my patience wearing thin? Yes, but we are going to see if it works and hope they can get this thing back on track.”

Alternate captain Tom Wilson has been a lone bright spot in the offensive zone. He’s scored half of Washington’s six power-play goals and leads the team with 13 points. The Canadian has carried into this campaign momentum from last season’s career-best performance.

“He’s been one of the guys that’s been playing at a high level,” Carbery said. “Started really hot again this year from a production standpoint, but also, I think the other areas of his game have been pretty sharp too.”

Strong starts from Wilson and the goaltenders can only take the Capitals so far. Carbery said Washington’s upcoming four-game road trip could help provide the spark his squad needs.

“There’s a lot of value in it, getting out on the road and spending time together,” he told reporters. “At this point in the year, with where we’re at, it’s great timing for our group to get out on the road, playing some really good hockey teams in some difficult buildings, challenging atmospheres where you’re going to be tested.”

The road stretch opens Thursday with a trip to Pittsburgh to face the rival Penguins, with subsequent games against three Eastern Conference contenders: the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers.

Through the first month of the season, Washington has only had a single road trip: a back-to-back in New York against the Islanders and Rangers on the opening weekend. The Capitals won both of those matchups.

Now 12 games into the campaign, the Capitals are ready to test themselves away from home. They could use the change of pace.

“You kind of know what your team’s like after 15-20 games in the season,” center Dylan Strome said. “Nothing’s just going to magically appear and change drastically. We’ve got to start to figure it out.”

It would help if the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer could return to last year’s form. Ovechkin is still a part of the top power-play unit, but he hasn’t scored a five-on-four goal yet this season.

The Russian has only found the back of the net twice through the first 12 games, an uncharacteristically slow start after he scored an impressive 44 goals in just 65 games last season.

“A little struggling,” Ovechkin said of his play on Monday. “Overall, we just have to stick to the plan and keep working, and eventually, you’ll score.”

The Capitals have one more home game before their road trip, a matchup with the visiting St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night. Entering the game, Washington is 6-5-1 on the season, five points behind the New Jersey Devils for the lead in the Metropolitan Division.