SKATE SHAVINGS - News and Notes From Caps' Morning Skate

Lead Me On - For the first time in just over nine years, the Caps enter tonight's game against Anaheim dragging a five-game regulation losing streak. One of the most vexing aspects of the streak is that the Caps have not held a lead at any point in the 300 minutes of hockey they've played during the streak. In each of the five games, they've surrendered the game's first goal in the first period, and they've spent the remainder of the game unsuccessfully chasing the opposition's early lead.

Last season, the Caps scored the game's first goal in 52 of their 82 regular season games; only Calgary (54) did so more frequently. And when Washington did not score first in '21-22, it still managed a 10-15-5 mark, tied for the 16th best points percentage (.333) in the League under such circumstances.
This season has been different. Washington has scored first in 26 of 59 games, tied for 23rd in the NHL. With 23 games remaining this season, Caps have already yielded the game's first goal more times this season than last, and their points percentage in those games is identical to last season's figure (11-19-3, .333).
The combination of playing without key players every night and falling behind in those games has proven to be a bit too much for the Capitals this season. They sit 10 points behind where they were at the exact same juncture of last season (31-18-10), in terms of the number of games played.
"We've got to get to our game before the other team does," says Caps right wing T.J. Oshie. "We've been letting up the first goal, probably every game. I don't think we've had a lead for a while, so getting that first goal will be really important for us. Playing really simple - and we've been saying that a lot - but the more we support each other and the simpler we play, it just seems like the easier the game comes to you. You're doing less stopping and backchecking and you're spending most of your energy going towards their net, which is always beneficial to the momentum of the game."
The Caps have not only not owned a lead at any point in the last five games, they've trailed for 251 minutes and 43 seconds (83.9 percent) of the 300 minutes they've played during their current slide.
"Obviously, you want to lead," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette. "You come out and you just feel better, you're playing from ahead and you're pushing for that second one. And it just hasn't happened.
"I think that there is always a stretch through the season where something goes awry. And it could be scoring the first goal, it could be the power play, it could be defensive zone coverage, it could be penalties that pop up late in the game, it could be blowing a lead late in the game. There's always things that pop up, and sometimes they do it in stretches. And right now, we have not gotten the lead. It's a point of emphasis to come out and be ready to play, attack the net and see if we can't get that first goal."
The Caps have tumbled from seventh to 11th in the Eastern Conference standings over the life of their losing streak, and they are only two points clear of 12th place Buffalo and four points up on 13th place Ottawa in the Eastern standings.
"It's as important as the last game, and it will be as important as the next one," says Laviolette of tonight's game. "We've got to win a hockey game, because we know where we're at [in the standings], and I think everybody's aware of our situation. The wins are important, and tonight is important, no question."
Back In The Saddle - Caps captain Alex Ovechkin missed each of the team's last four games following the passing of his father last week, and Washington is 0-5-0 in the five games it has played without him in its lineup this season. Ovechkin returned to the D.C. area early Wednesday, and he took part in an optional practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex hours later.
Following Thursday's morning skate, Laviolette announced that Ovechkin will be back in the lineup for the Caps tonight.
"I talked to him [Wednesday] and I talked with him this morning as well, and he's in the lineup tonight," says Laviolette.
With Ovechkin's return to the active roster, the Caps have placed Anthony Mantha on injured reserve. Mantha suffered an upper body injury midway through the second period of Tuesday's game against Detroit, and he is listed as day-to-day. Mantha won't be able to return to the lineup until Wednesday when the Caps and Ducks tangle once again in Anaheim.
Washington has been scuffling offensively even dating back to before Ovechkin's absence. The Caps' total of 21 goals in their last 11 games (1.91 per game) is the lowest per game rate in the League over that span, and it has resulted in a 3-8-0 record during that stretch.
And although Ovechkin is without a goal or a point in his own last four games - his longest scoring drought of the season - he has racked up 24 goals and 40 points in his last 36 games, a stretch that dates back to Nov. 17.
"It'll make for an emotional return," says Oshie. "He's our leader, our captain. Obviously, you can see that we haven't had much success without him, so it will be super important to get him back and just having him being around the guys, I think that alone will maybe bring the spark that we need to get out of this rut that we're in. And not to mention the way he plays game is always going to give you more of an advantage over another team.
"I'm super excited to get number eight back. I imagine the crowd is going to be rocking, and hopefully we'll get a number of "OVI!" chants tonight, which he deserves."
Band Of Brothers - Caps center Dylan Strome goes up against his brother Ryan tonight when the Ducks visit D.C. A third Strome brother, Matt, plays for the Caps' AHL Hershey affiliate, and he made the trip south from Chocolatetown to have dinner with his two older brothers on Wednesday night, the eve of the Caps-Ducks tilt.
The Ducks are the only team the Caps have yet to face this season, so it's been a while since Ryan and Dylan - the two oldest Strome brothers - have been able to spend some quality time together. For most of their NHL careers, the two have been situated in opposite conferences from each other and have only faced one another a couple of times a season at most. And this season marks one of the latest in which the brothers have faced off against each other.
"It's got to be pretty close," says Dylan Strome. "Actually, I think one time we played mid-March, I think that was the latest."
The brothers have faced one another in the NHL on several previous occasions - with Ryan's team coming out on top in each of six previous meetings - but having the opportunity to have all three brothers together for a night in the midst of a season is a rare occurrence, and one they were happy to have.
"We're getting to the age now where we all have kind of the same friend group," says Dylan. "So it's nice. In the summer, if one of us is hanging out, then the other ones are there. And we all play golf together."
In The Nets - Charlie Lindgren gets the net tonight for Washington, making his first start since Feb. 12 against San Jose. Tonight's game starts a stretch of three games in four days for Washington, which hosts the Rangers on Saturday afternoon and faces the Sabres in Buffalo in a Sunday matinee match. Lindgren is likely to see starting duty in one of those weekend tilts, too.
Lindgren is aiming for his 13th win of the season tonight. Since the flip of the calendar to 2023, Lindgren is 1-3-0 in six appearances (four starts) with a 3.13 GAA and an .879 save pct. He will be making his first career appearance against the Ducks.
John Gibson is Anaheim's expected starter in goal tonight. Although he is tied for 12th in the NHL with 39 appearances and he is tied for 13th with 38 starts, Gibson has faced more shots (1,450) than any other goaltender in the League this season. He leads the NHL with 23 losses, and is on track to lead the circuit in that category for the third time in the last four seasons; he also did so in 2019-20 and in 2020-21.
Lifetime against the Capitals, Gibson is 2-3-3 in nine games (all starts), with a shutout, a 3.09 GAA and a .900 save pct.
All Lined Up - Here's how we believe the Caps and the Ducks might look tonight when they take the ice at Capital One Arena on Thursday night:
WASHINGTON
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 92-Kuznetsov, 43-Wilson
15-Milano, 17-Strome, 77-Oshie
73-Sheary, 19-Backstrom, 90-Johansson
20-Eller, 26-Dowd, 21-Hathaway
Defensemen
9-Orlov, 57-van Riemsdyk
42-Fehervary, 3-Jensen
56-Gustafsson, 25-McIlrath
Goaltenders
79-Lindgren
35-Kuemper
Healthy Extras
27-Alexeyev
52-Irwin
96-Aube-Kubel
Injured/out
28-Brown (lower body)
39-Mantha (upper body)
62-Hagelin (hip)
74-Carlson (upper body)
ANAHEIM
Forwards
38-Grant, 11-Zegras, 16-R. Strome
44-Comtois, 37-McTavish, 49-Jones
77-Vatrano, 21-Lundestrom, 33-Silfverberg
20-Leason, 7-Megna, 39-Carrick
Defensemen
4-Fowler, 29-Kulikov
45-White, 28-Beaulieu
13-Benoit, 22-Shattenkirk
Goaltenders
36-Gibson
1-Dostal
Healthy Extras
None
Injured
2-Moore (undisclosed)
3-Klingberg (lower body)
5-Vaakanainen (undisclosed)
6-Drysdale (torn shoulder labrum)
14-Henrique (lower body)
19-Terry (upper body)
41-Stolarz (lower body)
54-Kirkland (undisclosed)