Long road trip may be the answer to team’s lack of urgency
Maybe what the struggling Capitals really need is to get away from home for a while. They will have that chance over the next eight days with a five-game road trip that includes three games on the other side of the country and four against teams currently sitting in playoff position.
One day after a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings at Verizon Center and the obligatory players-only meeting afterward, Washington was in Arizona preparing for Monday night’s 8 p.m. game against the Phoenix Coyotes.
“I don’t know if we don’t feel threatened or if we’re just kind of watching the standings locked in at a certain spot,” forward Mike Knuble said after the Los Angeles loss. “There’s not a lot of urgency. We’ve got to find it. This road trip could be great, or it could be an absolute embarrassment.”
Once a juggernaut at home, the Caps have appeared lost at times since Dec. 1, when their offense began to sputter. They started the year 12-1-1 at Verizon Center. But since then they are just 5-6-6. The overall home record still ranks fourth in the NHL at 17-7-7. But it’s clear Washington has been living off its early success in Chinatown. Last season it had the best home record in the league (30-5-6), and in 2008-09 it was third (29-9-3). With just 10 home games left, both of those marks are out of reach.
| Up next |
| Capitals at Coyotes |
| When » Monday, 8 p.m. |
| Where » Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, Ariz. |
| TV » Versus |
| Caps notes |
| » Washington hasn’t won a game at Phoenix since Jan. 16, 2006 — the afternoon of Alex Ovechkin‘s famous sliding, behind-the-head goal. |
| » The Caps (29-17-10, 68 points) took the only meeting with the Coyotes (29-19-9, 67 points) last season, a 4-2 victory at Verizon Center on Jan. 23, 2010. Their last game in Arizona was a 2-1 loss on Oct. 23, 2008. |
| » Monday’s game is the third of five in a row against Pacific Division opponents. Phoenix has won four straight and five of seven overall. |
So is a long road trip exactly what this team needs? The Verizon Center crowd has been grumpy of late, grew frustrated when the power play again struggled Saturday and then showered the ice with boos as Washington departed. The Caps won’t return until a Feb. 25 game against the New York Rangers.
“I’m a firm believer in going on the road, especially at the beginning of the season,” forward Matt Hendricks said. “It seems to help teams. It helps camaraderie in the group, brings us closer together, tighter together. But that only happens if you’re playing well.”
The competition won’t be easy. The first three teams Washington plays on the road trip — Phoenix, Anaheim and San Jose — rank fifth, sixth and seventh in the Western Conference playoff race. Plus, the Caps already lost to the Sharks 2-0 in the District on Tuesday. The trip ends with back-to-back games at resurgent Buffalo and at rival Pittsburgh next Monday night.
