Battered Capitals look to ride momentum in final week before Olympic break

The Capitals find themselves in an unfamiliar spot with three games remaining until a much-needed Olympic break: outside the playoff picture. Washington’s battered roster could use the rest — and a spark from the final week before NHL players head to Italy.

The new year hasn’t been kind to Washington. The Capitals posted an abysmal 5-9-1 record in January, sinking in the standings more than halfway through the season.

“This is a kick in the teeth,” forward Tom Wilson said after a 5-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. “I think our group understands what’s going on here. This is a big wake-up call, coming in here and getting our a—— handed to us. We’ve got to be better and we will be better.”

Wilson was right.

His Capitals have secured wins in each of their two games since their embarrassment in Seattle. The current win streak marks Washington’s first back-to-back victories since early December.

“There’s no secret we weren’t playing our best and we knew we needed to find a way out of it,” defenseman Jakob Chychrun said. “Usually, that starts with hard work.”

The margins were razor-thin in those two wins, though. Thursday’s victory over the Detroit Red Wings required a shootout goal by 35-year-old Nic Dowd, the Capitals’ third-line center.

Saturday’s triumph over the Carolina Hurricanes was even more unlikely. The Capitals trailed 3-0 in their second period. Coach Spencer Carbery’s squad then scored four unanswered goals, including a game-winner in overtime by rookie Justin Sourdif.

The weekend’s win marked the first of goaltender Clay Stevenson’s career. The third-string netminder filled in for the injured Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren.

The upcoming break couldn’t come at a better time for the beleaguered Capitals. Center Pierre-Luc Dubois, defenseman Matt Roy, forward Connor McMichael and blue-liner Martin Fehervary all missed Saturday’s game with injuries.

“We don’t feel sorry for ourselves at any point,” Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun said. “We just continue to push. It feels like we’ve had a lot of adversity throughout the year already. They’re all good learning moments for this group, and we just continue to fight.”

Securing the victory on Saturday without a half-dozen contributors available only raised the Capitals’ surging spirits.

“That’s our locker room and that’s the Caps resiliency that I’ve grown accustomed to over the last couple of years,” Carbery said. “You can feel it and it feels a little bit different right now with our group. There’s a focus to it. They understand what’s at stake and where we’re at. This is as important of a stretch as we’ve had this season.”

Sunday morning’s practice was optional — many veteran players opted to stay home for rest ahead of the final week before the midseason hiatus. But Roy and Thompson attended as they recover from injuries. The Canadian goaltender sported new pads and a fresh helmet — complete with a moose and a maple leaf — as he plans to represent his nation in the Olympics.

Before Washington’s players scatter to the winds — four Capitals are slated to play in the Olympics while the others enjoy a vacation — they have a three-game stretch against the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Nashville Predators.

Back-to-back wins are nice, but Washington wants more.

“We’ve been trying to get to this point for a while now,” Chychrun said. “It’s only two wins. It’s not like we’re back in a playoff spot here, but it’s encouraging.”

The Capitals entered Sunday six points out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Three victories before the break — starting with Monday’s matchup against the Islanders – would be a solid step toward postseason contention.

“If you look at the standings, there’s no room for error,” forward Dylan Strome said. “The last two especially have felt like playoff-type atmospheres. … Just got to keep riding the momentum.”