Capitals address recent struggles ahead of playoffs
Photo credit: NHL.com
Washington has now lost three consecutive games and holds a 3-6-1 record over their last 10. The team's defensive struggles continue, as they've allowed at least three goals in 11 straight contests. Additionally, their offense has been a significant issue, posting a league-worst goals-for percentage of just 33.93 percent at 5-on-5 during that stretch.
The Washington Capitals are well aware that things haven't gone as planned during the final stretch of the regular season. The team addressed their recent struggles on Monday with the first-round of the Stanley Cup playoffs set to begin on Saturday.
Sammi Silber from The Hockey News writes that while the Capitals aren't looking to make excuses, there is some validity to the circumstances. The team is finally able to take a breath after the conclusion of Alex Ovechkin's "GR8 Chase" and, with the Eastern Conference already clinched, they've had some leeway to focus on other aspects of their game as they close out the regular season.
"All the while, the Capitals are missing key players Aliaksei Protas and Logan Thompson due to injury, Jakob Chychrun just came back after battling illness and the lineup has been tweaking with players dealing with different situations and key guys getting rest ahead of the postseason." -Silber
Capitals forward Tom Wilson had this to say on Monday.
"Obviously, it's not ideal. There's been a lot going on. We don't want to make excuses...at this time of year, it's such a fine line as to winning and losing, and we just got to learn from this." -Wilson
Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun also weighed in when asked about his team's recent struggles.
"We know what we're capable of...I don't think concern, in this room, is going to be a point of attack for us." -Chychrun
That said, the team is fully aware of the current situation and understands that changes are necessary before the postseason. However, they're not in a state of panic and remain focused on getting things back on track.
Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has no concern despite his team's recent poor performance.
"We big boys, we know what's on the line." -Ovechkin
Silber also writes that Wilson noted that the compete level was much better on Sunday during the 4-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, calling it a step in the right direction. He agreed with Ovechkin that the team just needs to tighten up in certain areas and be ready for the challenges ahead.
"Once we get our guys in there for playoffs, we got to make sure that we're playing well together and we're playing detailed because that's what the playoffs demand." -Wilson
The Capitals remains confident heading into the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The team has shown consistency throughout most of the season and has proven itself to be a top contender on a nightly basis, giving them belief in their ability to perform when it matters most.
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