Jan. 19 vs. Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena
Time: 4:00 p.m.
TV: MNMT
Radio: 106.7 THE FAN/Caps Radio Network
Washington Capitals (24-19-6)
Colorado Avalanche (33-5-8)
The Capitals open up a daunting six-game, 12-day road trip on Monday afternoon in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche, the NHL’s top team and one that has earned points in 41 of its first 46 games this season. This six-game trip is the Caps’ longest journey of the season, and its longest overall since a six-game, 12-day excursion from Nov. 26-Dec. 7, 2022.
Prior to the trip, the Caps went 1-2-0 over the course of a three-game homestand. After coming back from a two-goal deficit to win the homestand opener over Montreal in overtime, the Caps dropped the last two games to San Jose and Florida, respectively. They start the trip in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings, and they’ve been seemingly stuck in neutral for the better part of two months now, since their season-high six-game winning streak ended in San Jose on Dec. 3. That also marks the last time the Caps claimed two points in consecutive games.
For most of the season, the Caps have been battling injuries and special teams woes. Those battles are ongoing as they take to the road for the better part of two weeks. They’ve been without top six center P-L Dubois since Halloween, without top six right wing Tom Wilson for two weeks, and without rookie forward Justin Sourdif for a week now.
Although it was dented for the game-winning goal in Saturday night’s loss to Florida, Washington’s penalty killing unit has taken an upturn during their current stretch of 21 straight games without recording back-to-back wins, killing at a rate of 82.9 percent, fifth best in the League. But the Caps’ power play is clicking at just 13.6 percent across the same span, ranking 29th in the NHL. Injuries have prevented the Caps from being able to ice their ideal and most optimal power play combos for virtually the entire season to date.
“The special teams part of it no doubt plays a large role in the game, and it has in the season,” said Caps coach Spencer Carbery in the aftermath of Saturday’s loss to the Panthers. “If you look at our forward lines and how we’re trying to find [stable line combinations]. And listen, these guys are trying. There are a lot of guys that are playing in roles and in spots – and slotted in spots that are new to them. And it’s not an easy League to learn on the fly in, I don’t care if you’re Ryan Leonard and you’re a top 10 NHL pick or if you’re Ethen Frank, that is still trying to become an everyday NHL player. This League is hard on a night-to-night basis, and to think that Ryan Leonard is going to be able to perform at this level every single night is just unrealistic. It just is, and that’s just a fact.
“What I’m trying to get at is there are guys that are working their butts off trying to be in the right spot and trying to execute at a high level, every single shift in every single period in every single game. And it’s not always going to work out; it’s a challenge. It’s a hard, hard League.”
As they try to steer themselves out of this lengthening tailspin while missing key players from their lineup, the Caps recognize the need to get things turned around as quickly as possible, and they know they’re capable of performing better because they’ve done so earlier in the season.
“We’ve just got to find ways here to be better, and to be better for one another, and just start to play with a little more desperation and urgency,” says Caps defenseman Jakob Chychrun, who scored both Washington goals in Saturday night’s 5-2 setback to Florida. “We always try so hard as a group, but it just seems like right now everything is just a little bit off. So, we’ve got to find a way to get back to our game. And once we do that, I don’t think we have any worries about this group and what we’re capable of. We’ve just got to quickly get back to what we know we can do.”
Wilson and Sourdif have both been skating, and both have been gradually closing in on a return to the lineup. Dubois won’t be back before the Olympic break, but he has also been skating – albeit in a non-contact sweater – and he is moving well when on the ice.
Sunday morning, just before their departure for Denver, the Caps announced they’ve loaned right wing Brett Leason to AHL Hershey. Leason was recalled earlier this month when Wilson went down with a lower body injury, so loaning Leason may indicate that one or both of Wilson and Sourdif are ready to step back into the lineup as early as Monday in the Mile High City.
“There’s no time to sulk on it,” says Caps defenseman John Carlson. “We’re not even close to where we need to be, but we’re one winning streak away from being in a good position, I feel like.
“So I think that’s the focus; however we need to find that momentum as a group to change things for the better, work harder, get to more pucks. I think we can do better having some more consistent attacks; I think all those things help. But that’s the mantra. It doesn’t matter how we feel or how sorry we are for ourselves, we’re right in the thick of this thing, and hopefully getting some people back soon. And that should give us some momentum to go on one of those streaks, because we need it after this lull in our play.”
Colorado started the season by pulling points in 22 straight games (19-0-3) on home ice, a streak that was halted on Friday night at the hands of the Nashville Predators, who rolled to a 7-3 win over the Avs.
Although their season’s record is far and away the best in the NHL this season, the Avs have also been stuck in neutral of late, but for a much shorter stretch of time than the Capitals. Colorado is 2-3-1 in its last six games, suffering three of its five regulation losses on the season in that span.
Monday’s game is the fifth game of a seven-game homestand for the Avs, who are 2-1-1 on the homestand to date.
