For a team in desperate need of points, the Capitals are beyond caring about moral victories.
So shaking off 30 minutes of uninspired play and controlling the game in both the third period and overtime doesn’t matter if it doesn’t lead to a win.
All that did matter on Wednesday night against the Florida Panthers was that the Caps left Verizon Center with just one standings point after a 2-1 shootout loss.
The Caps (8-15-2, 18 points) won their first two games under interim coach Bruce Boudreau, but have earned just one point in back-to-back losses to Buffalo and Florida.
Wednesday’s game turned late in the second period when Caps forward Chris Clark converted a turnover into a slapshot past Florida goalie Tomas Vokoun to tie the score at 1.
But Vokoun stopped a number of quality shots in the third period and overtime — where the Caps had a 4-on-3 power play for the final two minutes — and finished with 32 saves.
Washington also had its chances in the shootout. But four different players failed to convert against Vokoun with the game on the line. Florida forward Stephen Weiss finally scored in the 11th round and Vokoun stopped a drive by Caps defenseman Brian Pothier to win it.
