Canadiens 3, Caps 2 (Shootout)
Make it eight losses in a row and 10 of 11 in one of the most bizarre streaks of the NHL season. The Caps can’t buy a win when games go past regulation – and at this point it seems like every game goes past regulation. That’s life for most any NHL team that can’t score. And after two months of offensive futility the Caps are obviously a team that can’t score. Check out our game story for all the bitter details. Washington scored the first two goals of the game, but couldn’t pot that all-important third one and it proved costly.
“I think we kind of sat back on our two-goal lead, and we can’t afford to do that,” said center Mathieu Perreault, who scored the game’s first goal. “We need to keep going and keep pushing and it came up to bite us in the [butt].”
Can’t argue with that. Bruce Boudreau was frustrated afterwards, but said it was mental mistakes more than anything that cost his team a standings point. John Erskine pinched into the offensive zone with Washington ahead 2-0 in the second period. That led to a Brian Gionta breakaway. Later, a couple of John Carlson’s teammates were calling for a drop pass as he sped up ice on a break with a Montreal defenseman in front of him. But neither player was close enough and when Carlson heeded their calls a turnover resulted. Moments later Gionta beat goalie Semyon Varlamov (36 saves) again. That was all the offense either team would get the rest of the night.
“It’s tough, but the answers are in this room and they aren’t going to come from anywhere else,” said Caps forward Matt Hendricks. “We know that we have the opportunity to change things and we’re working hard at it.”
No one has any answers to the overtime and shootout troubles. The best bet for this team now is just avoid them all together. But that means producing more than two goals a night and that just isn’t happening often enough. Boudreau noted that the Caps in recent overtime games have done a much better job during 4-on-4 play. A few times tonight they held their ground when earlier this month they might have lunged for the puck and allowed an odd-man rush or too much time and space to the opposition.
“It’s mostly mental. You can sense it,” said Caps defenseman Mike Green. “We have to keep pushing like we do. I think at times we hang back so much that we’re not getting the offensive opportunities we need to win games. Until we can change that we’re going to be tying games and going to overtime a lot.”
Caps Notes
» The penalty kill was successful on all six chances against Montreal. Washington has now killed 24 opposition power plays in a row and 100 of the last 113 (88.5%) since Nov. 24. Unfortunately, the power play is a shocking 13-of-99.
» Caps F Mathieu Perreault has scored the first goal of the game three times this season. That is tied for the team lead. It was also his fourth two-point game of the season.
» Washington’s two first period goals moved it out of last place in the NHL in that category. With 32 first-period goals it jumped the New York Islanders (31) and Edmonton (31). The Caps have registered two first-period goals in a game just six times this season.
» Congrats to forward Matt Bradley, who played in his 600th career NHL game.
» In Varlamov’s last 10 games he has allowed 17 goals with a 1.74 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage. But his record in those games is just 4-3-3.
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