Pathetic is the only way to characterize the Washington Capitals' efforts during their Tuesday night loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
| ANDREW TOMLINSON / THE EAGLE |
| Donald Brashear Talks About His Role as the Team's Enforcer.ANDREW TOMLINSON/ THE EAGLE |
| Coach Bruce Boudreau's Postgame Press Conference.ANDREW TOMLINSON/ THE EAGLE |
| Defenseman Mike Green Discusses The Capitals Loss.ANDREW TOMLINSON/ THE EAGLE |
| Alex Ovechkin on The Capitals' Three Game Skid.ANDREW TOMLINSON/ THE EAGLE |
Not one part of the team seemed in sync after the first 10 minutes. The defense wasn't chasing the puck, the offense wasn't crashing the net and the goaltending had trouble stopping anything. It was assumed the Caps would play better with John Erskine, Jeff Schultz and Sergei Fedorov returning from injury. Instead the team looked better with its American Hockey League call-ups.
Players seemed preoccupied on the ice. There have been several off ice distractions for the team with the release of the All-Star rosters and their previous game against Pittsburgh. Coach Bruce Boudreau hoped these distractions weren't affecting play.
"If the All-Star game was a distraction it should have been for about a minute." Boudreau said in a press conference. "I would hope it wouldn't be a distraction since these guys are professionals and that shouldn't have any bearing on what's happening."
This slump couldn't have come at a worse time for the Caps. Four of the next six games are against some of the National Hockey League's best - Boston, Detroit and Pittsburgh. Two of the games are at home against Boston and Detroit. The other two are in Boston and Pittsburgh.
The team had been on fire, winning nine of its last ten. If this was a normal losing streak it wouldn't be a cause for concern but this one isn't normal. A team shouldn't get worse as its veterans return to the line up.
The Capitals climbed to the second in the Eastern Conference and fourth in the league but right now they aren't playing like they deserve to be there. Away from the Verizon Center the team is atrocious, posting a 9-11-2 record - a record that looks better than it is since six of those losses have been losses by three goals or more. To find a team with a road record close to the Caps, you need to go ten spots down in the league to the barely .500 Phoenix Coyotes.
There are some positives right now though, one of which is the play of Karl Alzner. The rookie is not only playing well by himself he has made Milan Jurcina a much better player. The two have gelled extremely well and are potent threats both on offense and defense.
Last night's game against the Penguins can also work in the Capitals favor. Even with the short turnaround between games the Caps can use the game to get back on track. The rivalry between the Penguins and Capitals is one to be reckoned with. A game such as last night's can fire up a team and propel them out of a slump.
Regardless of last night's outcome, the team's stars needed to have strong games. Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom and Alexander Semin all have been relatively quiet during the slump. Each of them is important to the success of the team and until at least one of them can return to form the team will continue to struggle.
With the All-Star break looming the team needs to try to build up as much momentum as possible. It is a sprint to the finish once February rolls around and starting form a slow jog is easier than entering a dead sprint. A three-game losing streak isn't too much cause for alarm, but the play of the team during it is.
You can reach this columnist at atomlinson@theeagleonline.com.
