WASHINGTON, DC — The Washington Capitals continued their shootout woes on Thursday night, falling 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes in the skills competition.

With a record of 0-4 in the shootout this season, head coach Spencer Carbery seems to have reached the end of his rope with the team’s current lineup of shooters.

“We’ll probably try to utilize different guys, to be honest with you,” he said postgame. “I think this is probably the last straw with the guys that we’ve had. So we’ll look at some different guys…We’ve got to find a way to score in those situations.”

The Capitals have struggled in the shootout for years, dating back to the losses of regular fixtures TJ Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Over Carbery’s tenure, they’ve won just six of 18 shootout games and went two-for-five in 2024-25.

Washington’s shooters shoulder much of the responsibility for this season’s shoddy record. Excluding two teams who have yet to play in the shootout, the Capitals’ 13.3 shot percentage ranks third-worst in the NHL, with just 2 successful attempts in 15 chances. League-wide, players have scored on 32.29 percent of attempts this season.

The team’s goalies have also found mixed success in the shootout despite an otherwise-strong tandem in net. The Capitals’ .571 save percentage ranks 26th in the league, with a .800 save percentage from Charlie Lindgren (one game) and a 0.444 save percentage from Logan Thompson (three games).

Carbery has thus far relied on Dylan Strome (1 goal /4 attempts) and Anthony Beauvillier (1/4) as his top two shooters, though he’s given opportunities to Alex Ovechkin (0/2), Connor McMichael (0/2), Ryan Leonard (0/1), Sonny Milano (0/1), and Ethen Frank (0/1). Though he wasn’t ready to finalize his new lineup, Carbery suggested a few potential options.

“I could go through the whole list,” he said Thursday night. “I’ve even thought about Tom Wilson. I know he hasn’t shot a lot in his career, but he’s leading our team in goals. Mikey (McMichael) obviously hasn’t had a ton of success in his career, Pro (Aliaksei Protas) — you just start going down the list — Jakob Chychrun.”

All four players Carbery mentioned have had limited experience in the shootout. McMichael has gone 0/5 in his career, including his 0/2 record this season. Chychrun has one goal in four attempts and shot just once last season. Protas (0/1) got his first chance against Utah in February. And Wilson (0/1) had his only career opportunity during the NHL’s longest-ever shootout on December 16, 2014, where he shot in the 15th round against the Florida Panthers.

But while they haven’t proven themselves in the shootout, Carbery’s suggested candidates have found broader success this season. McMichael has 13 points (4g, 9a) in his last 14 games, Protas has 10 goals and a 20-point season so far, and Chychrun leads all NHL defensemen with 11 goals in 31 games.

Wilson, in particular, has been arguably the team’s best player this fall. His 17 goals tie for ninth-most in the league, and he leads the Capitals in points (32).

Carbery has already made some tweaks to the lineup this season, removing former mainstay Alex Ovechkin after 13 consecutive unsuccessful attempts.

Given the team’s repeated failures in the shootout this season, Carbery may be willing to accept a learning curve from less experienced shooters he otherwise wouldn’t consider. The Capitals will be able to test out their options during Friday’s practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex before facing the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.