ARLINGTON, VA — The Washington Capitals know they have a shootout problem. They’ve lost four straight times this season, scoring just twice in 15 shots. But while those four losses might be a particular low point, with Carbery saying postgame that Thursday’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes was “probably the last straw” for the current shootout lineup, the Caps’ shootout woes started long before the puck dropped this fall.

During head coach Spencer Carbery’s tenure, the Capitals have won just six of their 18 shootout games, succeeding on 13 of 65 attempts. If you exclude the 2023-24 season — when the Capitals still had shootout specialists TJ Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov on the roster — they’ve won just two of nine games.

Carbery told reporters Friday that, amid similar shootout difficulties last season — they won just two of five games — the Capitals asked Oshie to help coach players on how to be more effective in the shootout.

“It is a good point of, ‘Osh is one of the greatest to ever do it. Why wouldn’t we utilize that asset and resource if we could?’” Carbery said. “And we’ve been down that road…We had him come in and talk. Not in a group setting; it was more individual. (Capitals goaltending coach) Scott Murray was trying to connect with each guy that was going to potentially do a shootout, talk to them about their moves. TJ Oshie was brought in to consult with that process.”

While Oshie played his final game in April 2024, he’s stayed close to the team in the years since. He remained on the Capitals’ payroll while on long-term injured reserve all of last season, currently works part-time as a commentator for Monumental Sports Network (owned by the Capitals’ parent company), and even dropped by to watch practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex earlier this week.

Oshie sits among the NHL’s best-ever shootout players since the league introduced the format in 2005-06. His 47.1 career shootout percentage (49 goals/104 shots) ranks fourth among all players with 50 or more attempts, and his four-goal performance with Team USA against Russia at the 2014 Olympics became the stuff of legend, earning him the nickname ‘TJ Sochi.’

But while some players found Oshie’s input helpful, others weren’t as receptive.

“Here’s the thing with players at this level,” Carbery said. “I find that some are open to it and love information, and some are like, ‘I’ve gotten to where I’ve gotten by doing my thing, and I’m not about to now start to rethink it or take input.’ Right or wrong, to each his own.

“These are National Hockey League players, so they’ve accomplished a lot in their career and got to the best league in the world by doing it their way. And so if they’re open to that information, great. If they’re not, and they’re more like, ‘No, this is just clouding what I’m thinking about and making me think too much,’ I can’t judge them for that.”

A season later, Oshie’s advice doesn’t seem to have moved the needle, with the Capitals now 0-4 in the shootout this fall.