The Washington Capitals enter the holiday break in an interesting spot.
After a 7-3 loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday, Washington has now dropped six of the last seven. Still, the team sits in the first Wild Card spot in the East in a very tight Metropolitan Division, where first and last are separated by just 11 points.
After this three-day break, the Capitals will be busy with 22 games over the next 40 days. That’s why right now, coach Spencer Carbery said it’s important for the team to make the most of the time away from the rink so that it’ll be easier to hit the reset button.
“The next portion of the season, January, is going to determine a lot of what we’re about and where this team goes. That’s just a fact. Because if you look at our schedule and what we’re about to embark on… it’s go time,” Carbery said. “It’s a great opportunity (right now) to get away from the game, get away from the Washington Capitals, get away from the pre-scouts, anything to do with the National Hockey League… then come back (and it’s) a great opportunity for us to show that we’re a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup.”
That being said, belief is still alive and well in the Capitals’ locker room, and there is no panic from the players or staff when it comes to recent play despite struggles through the month of December.
Washington, playing without one of its top center in Pierre-Luc Dubois, sits second in the league in goals per game and third in scoring chances for per game at 5-on-5 (2.92, 30.35), and over the last couple of games, the offense has taken steps in the right direction, with new-look lines and the return of Ryan Leonard igniting a spark up front.
D.C. was also missing leading scorer Tom Wilson and defenseman Rasmus Sandin in Tuesday’s loss to New York, two names that could’ve certainly changed the narrative.
That said, the Capitals know that while they’re getting their looks, they need to bear down when it comes to finishing.
“Converting on our chances (remains a trend), seems like the main one that keeps coming up where we have chances to score and push the lead to two or three,” Dylan Strome said. “It feels like during that (November) stretch, we were doing that and getting goals from kind of all over the place. Now, hasn’t been there the last couple, but that’s hockey sometimes and we’ll find away to bounce through it.”
Leonard is also expected to help reignite the ailing power play, which ranks fifth-worst in the league, and a break should also benefit Alex Ovechkin, who has gone the last nine games without a goal. On the flip side of the special teams conversation, the penalty kill has been thriving of late, as D.C. has the league’s fourth-best penalty kill since Dec. 1 (86.8 percent).
While there’s room for improvement, it’s not time to panic in Washington. The team still sits in a strong position and is doing a lot of the right things. The message remains the same as it was earlier in the season amid struggles: trust the process.
If the Capitals do that, they’ll start to pick things up.
“We know how good of a group we have in here, we know how tight we are. We know when we’re at our best, we can beat any team in this league, and I think that’s our mentality every single night,” Connor McMichael said. “Our play’s dipped a little bit, but I don’t think there’s any concern in this room at all.”
The Capitals will be on the road for the first two games out of the break, starting with a showdown against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
Additional Christmas Eve Musings
Trade talk continues to surround the team, with insiders Elliotte Friedman and David Pagnotta reporting that D.C. is keeping its eye on the market for more offensive pieces. Still, Washington maintains a lot of belief in the players in the system.
Andrew Cristall is finding his game at the AHL level and is currently riding a nine-game point streak. It was just a matter of time before he got used to the pros and the speed of the game, and he’s showing his potential as a regular contributor and top scorer. He still has ways to go, but is definitely putting himself on the radar.
Same goes for Ilya Protas, who ranks fourth in scoring among AHL rookies this season. I’d expect a call-up at some point this season for Little Pro, who was in town for Tuesday’s game with the likes of Alexander Suzdalev, Bogdan Trineyev and Eriks Mateiko to take in some action in the District.
Speaking of the Protas brothers, Aliaksei is finding his game again. He has points in three of the last four and nine of the last 13 overall, and he’s on pace for another 50-plus point season and has a team-leading plus/minus of plus-20. Big Pro is also tracking to finish with 28 goals, and just looks more like himself over this recent stretch.
Back to prospects: World Juniors starts on Friday, and D.C. will be well-represented with Cole Hutson and Nicholas Kempf (USA), Maxim Schäfer (Germany), Leon Muggli (Switzerland), Petr Sikora (Czechia) and Milton Gästrin (Sweden) all suiting up. Hutson, by the way, is thriving in his sophomore year at Boston University and could be up in the pros as soon as spring.
Talking to New York media last night, it was mentioned to me that the Capitals have to have the best vibes in the league. Counts for something; every team claims to have a tight-knit room, but D.C. is just on another level.
Stick taps to the Caps sewer ball circle, by the way. Those guys are always in a great mood, and definitely lifts pregame spirits.
Chatted with Charlie Lindgren the other day, who celebrated his 32nd birthday while backing up in a 4-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Though he didn’t play, Washington still made it special for him, and so did his family at home. He got a custom mug with pictures of him and his daughter, Molly, and a card, and returned home to spend time with his dog, Riley.
The Glue Guy: How Dylan McIlrath, AKA ‘Big Mac Sauce,’ Turned The Capitals Into One Of The NHL’s Tightest-Knit Locker RoomsShout out to all the readers. I’m so grateful to continue sharing stories and the in-depth pieces covering the Caps here and at The Hockey News. Sometimes there can be highs and lows that come with the season, but there’s always an interesting, unique angle, and I also strive to cover the human side away from the game, too. Happy holidays!