In Washington, When It Rains, It Pours

By Adam Vingan

Let’s cut to the chase: the Washington Capitals are playing miserable hockey and have been for about a month now. Since starting the season as the NHL’s last unbeaten team at 7-0-0, the Caps are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games and losers of three straight after Thursday’s 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. When looking at Washington’s seven points through 10 games as compared to the rest of the league entering Friday, only the Carolina Hurricanes (six) and Anaheim Ducks (five) have earned fewer points over that span.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find different ways to express the fact that the Caps possess no killer instinct whatsoever, but perhaps a look into the turning points of some of the Caps’ most recent losses will provide more proof.

Against the Jets Thursday, things went from bad to worse very quickly. After Evander Kane scored his second goal of the night at 6:38 of the second period, Jeff Halpern and Brooks Laich found themselves on a 2-on-0 shorthanded breakaway. Halpern fed Laich, who missed completely, but still had the gumption to raise his arms in celebration as the puck sailed wide and around the boards. Blake Wheeler picked up the loose puck, cut to the net and beat Michal Neuvirth to give the Jets a 3-1 lead just 1:53 after Kane’s goal. That wasn’t enough, however, as Kyle Wellwood scored 2:23 after Wheeler to put Winnipeg up 4-1.

The Jets scored three times within a span of 3:16. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it happened Tuesday in the Caps’ 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators. Martin Erat, Colin Wilson and Shea Weber scored three times within a span of 3:58. The New Jersey Devils scored twice within 6:36 in their 3-2 shootout win over Washington Saturday.

Not to be outdone, the Dallas Stars scored three times within 7:41 – including the last two within 32 seconds – in a 5-2 win over the Caps November 8. The New York Islanders also got in on the fun, scoring twice within 45 seconds in their 5-3 win November 5. Don’t forget about the Vancouver Canucks, who did the “score three times within” thing in just 4:07 in their 7-4 win October 29.

When it rains, it pours for the Caps.