The Washington Capitals are not easily rattled. The veteran squad, which returned most of its key contributors from last season’s postseason run, proved that over the weekend.
After dropping last week’s season opener at home to the Boston Bruins, coach Spencer Carbery’s squad traveled to New York City and left with four points. Despite playing on back-to-back nights, Washington posted promising performances in wins against the Rangers and Islanders over the weekend.
A 4-2 victory over the Islanders on Saturday flashed the offensive firepower that the Capitals showed last year. A 1-0 win in a shutout by goaltender Charlie Lindgren on Sunday showed a team that could win even when its shots aren’t falling.
It was a preview of what’s to come, the team said.
“Our game is starting to get into form,” Carbery said Sunday night. “You can feel it starting to come to the form we expect, and what that’s hopefully going to lead to is us being able to win more games like this.”
Carbery’s team is establishing an identity through three games of a young season, one of a lockdown defense. The Capitals have allowed just one even-strength goal so far; it came during the 3-1 loss to the Bruins.
The Capitals’ goaltending tandem of Lindgren and Logan Thompson has maintained its strong form from last season. The pair has saved all but five of the 93 shots they’ve faced so far. The .957 save percentage ranked third in the NHL on Monday morning.
“I felt pretty good right away. I think practices have been going really well,” Lindgren said after making his season debut on Sunday. “Credit to the guys in front of me; they did a terrific job.”
The defenders wouldn’t take all the credit for the net-minders’ early success.
“Chuckie was unbelievable — like usual, so nothing new,” defenseman Martin Fehervary said on Sunday. “We need to work on the details.”
Lindgren posted an early candidate for save of the year on Sunday. Facing a 2-on-1 from the Rangers, the 31-year-old remained patient, watched the final pass and sprawled out in front of the goal to make an unlikely glove save to preserve the shutout.
“He got a lot on it. I felt I got a nice piece of it with my glove. I felt like, just for a second, I saw a little flash going into the net. I don’t know what it was,” Lindgren said after the game. “But then I looked down at my glove and it was in glove. So, pretty happy about that.”
The defense is hitting its stride. The offense, however, is a work in progress. Washington is looking for more games like Saturday, where the team scored four goals against the Islanders on Saturday, including a pair from rising star Aliaksei Protas.
The Capitals have managed just two combined goals in their other two games, though.
The power play has been particularly underwhelming. Washington is one of five teams that have yet to score with a man advantage this season. The other four teams have played one fewer game than the Capitals, though.
“We’ve really got to put some work in. It’s going to be a work in progress early …” Carbery said last week. “We have to adapt and evolve, and it’s been a work in progress over the last two years. We’re going to continue to do that. This year will bring a little bit of change, and we need some accountability there as well.”
The Capitals are also waiting for the breakout from their star, Alex Ovechkin. The now-40-year-old dominated headlines last season as he completed the “Great Chase,” ultimately passing Wayne Gretzky to become the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer.
But Ovechkin hasn’t found the net yet as he narrows in on 900 goals. The Russian has notched a pair of assists and eight shots to start the season after missing most of training camp with a lower-body injury.
The three-time MVP and the rest of the Capitals enjoyed a day off on Monday before returning to home ice for a matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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