Losing streak reaches 7 games despite a better effort
The streak is now at seven games, the frustration mounting with each loss. But at this point the Capitals will hold tight to any positive nugget they can find. It is what sustains them during the most difficult stretch of coach Bruce Boudreau’s tenure in Washington.
The encouraging signs were there in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks at Verizon Center on Wednesday night. Ryan Getzlaf’s goal with 57 seconds left in the extra period handed the Caps their seventh loss in a row. Yet they had dominated the first period, created plenty of scoring chances throughout the game and showed far more devotion in the defensive end of the rink.
But the goals just won’t come. Despite enough traffic in front of Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller, those scrums for loose pucks produced just once — Brooks Laich’s goal in the first period. Washington was also 0-for-2 on the power play, though it did outshoot Anaheim overall 32-24.
“When they’re not going in they’re not going in,” said Laich, who finished with a game-high seven shots on goal and won all six of his faceoffs. “But I thought our team did a great job without the puck. And if we play like that we’re going to get rewarded for it.”
| Caps Notes |
| » Washington forward Brooks Laich registered his eighth goal of the season. His seven shots on goal were one shy of a career high. |
| » Caps goalie Semyon Varlamov finished with 22 saves on 24 shots. Jonas Hiller stopped 31 of 32 for the Ducks. |
| » Western Conference opponents have scored just 14 goals in seven games against Washington so far this season – yet the Caps are just 3-3-1 against them. |
Several Caps players mentioned the value of the standings point they secured for taking the game to overtime. It was the second time in three games they left the ice feeling okay about how they played. Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Colorado was a similar affair. Washington (18-11-4, 40 points) is now 0-4-3 in its last seven games but remains in first place in the Southeast Division.
Laich opened the scoring at 14:22 of the first period. Nicklas Backstrom fought his way around the Anaheim net and threw a pass out front to defenseman John Carlson. His shot attempt was blocked, but the puck landed at Laich’s feet, and he roofed a backhander over Hiller. Later, a Laich shot squeezed through Hiller’s pads but was swept off the goal line at the last instant by Getzlaf. Hiller also robbed Backstrom on a 3-on-1 break and was helpless as Alex Ovechkin rang a shot off his crossbar.
“We did a lot of good things,” Caps forward Mike Knuble said. “It’s going to take some small steps here to move forward. But again — it’s not a win. And wins have become very elusive for this group.”
