Loss to Edmonton is third straight for Washington
Consistency has been their hallmark since Bruce Boudreau took over as coach on Thanksgiving Day in 2007.
With just one three-game losing streak in regulation over the 105 games since Boudreau was hired, the Capitals have managed to avoid the lengthy dry spells that can cripple a season.
But cruising towards a Southeast Division title and with visions of a deep Stanley Cup playoff run dancing in their heads, the Caps suddenly find themselves in the midst of downturn after an ugly 5-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night at Verizon Center.
Forwards Steve MacIntyre, Erik Cole and Gilbert Brule scored the first three goals of the game for the Oilers (21-18-3, 45 points), who handed Washington (27-14-3, 57 points) its third consecutive loss — and second straight at home after an 18-1-1 start in the District. The only other three-game losing streak under Boudreau came in November when the Caps lost at Los Angeles, San Jose and Minnesota.
“When it gets to the point where everyone wants to be the scorer and nobody wants to be the mucker you are not going to do anything,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “Everybody’s waiting and when you put a skilled lineup together everybody needs to do the grunt job. Until we get that happening we’re not going to score a lot of goals.”
Edmonton struck twice in the first period despite being outshot 20-9. The first goal came at 12 minutes, 59 seconds when MacIntyre blasted a shot from the top of the slot and past Caps goalie Jose Theodore (18 saves). It was the first NHL goal for the bruising forward.
“I was just being an old defensemen. [Denis] Grebeshkov made a really good pass and I was just trying to get it on net,” MacIntyre said. “You grow up dreaming to play in the NHL and you get out there against some pretty good players and you happen to get a lucky one. I figure that’s pretty good.”
Moments later, Caps forward Alex Semin took his second hooking penalty in less than five minutes. The Oilers took quick advantage on the power play when Cole crashed the crease on a shot from defenseman Sheldon Souray and knocked the puck home.
Early in the second period, Caps forward David Steckel was stripped by Kyle Brodziak, whose quick pass to Brule led to a sweet backhanded flip past Theodore and a 3-0 lead.
“It was apparent tonight that we weren’t ready to play them and we took them too lightly,” said Caps defenseman Mike Green. “We can’t do that. But it is over and done with. We’ve got to win tomorrow [at Pittsburgh].”
Cole put the game out of reach at 3:19 of the third when he tipped home a shot by Brodziak. He later added an empty-net goal with 58 seconds left to complete the hat trick. Tomas Fleischmann and Mike Green both scored for the Caps, who travel to Pittsburgh (21-19-4, 46 points) tonight for a much-anticipated contest that now has added meaning thanks to the losing streak. It is Washington’s second visit to Mellon Arena this season after a 4-3 win there on Oct. 16.
Special teams were an issue again for the Caps. The power play was 1-for-5, including a scoreless 5-on-3 advantage for 42 seconds at the end of the first period. And while it outshot Edmonton, 36-23, few of Washington’s chances after the first five minutes challenged Oilers’ goalie Dwayne Roloson (34 saves).
“We don’t have traffic,” said Caps left wing Alex Ovechkin, who singled out his own line, including center Nicklas Backstrom and right wing Alexander Semin, for its poor play. “Bruce tells us that if you want to get goals you have to take traffic. If we have traffic and get lots of shots the goalie doesn’t see what is going on, where the puck is going, and we put the puck in the net. Today we just tried to play so cute and we just have to change it.”
