Flat Capitals start slow and are unable to recover in 4-1 loss to Panthers
|
Version 0 of 1. SUNRISE, Fla. — The Washington Capitals found themselves reeling from the second shift of the game, which left them in an early deficit Thursday night. They never recovered, struggling to win the key battles or generate quality chances in a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. The loss was one of Washington’s most lopsided of the season, and the players acknowledged afterward that they just never got going. It was Florida’s first regulation win against the Capitals in 15 meetings. “Bottom line is, you win some and you lose some,” winger Justin Williams said. “We deserved to lose that one. We weren’t good enough in a lot of aspects.” Things started with a Florida goal less than a minute into the contest, a deflection in front of the net by Jaromir Jagr. By the time Aaron Ekblad made it 3-0 near the midpoint of the third period, deftly finishing a two-on-one rush, it was effectively over. The Capitals’ lone goal came from Alex Ovechkin with just 2 minutes 8 seconds remaining, a late push with Washington’s goaltender pulled. By then, the goal was too little and far too late, and Ovechkin didn’t even raise his arms to celebrate. Florida scored an empty-net goal about a minute later. “Everybody knows in this locker room we have to play better and we have to put more pressure on their ‘D,’ and as soon as we put pressure on their ‘D,’ it’s our game,” Ovechkin said. “We gave up too many chances, and we didn’t play our game.” [Bog: Caps’ dads trip brings out the fun photos] Washington entered the game on an eight-game streak of pulling at least a point in every game, steadily climbing the Eastern Conference standings. At stake Thursday night was an opportunity for the Capitals to distance themselves at the top of the Metropolitan Division. A win would have given Washington a three-point cushion over the second-place New York Rangers. Capitals Coach Barry Trotz also had been hopeful that the presence of the players’ fathers for the team’s annual father’s trip would be added motivation. Instead, the Capitals struggled to produce offensive chances and found themselves in a two-goal hole after two periods. “We looked tired because we didn’t have a lot of time in the offensive zone,” Williams said. “And that’s the fun zone.” [Capitals embrace new dietary supplements] In Washington’s previous game against the Panthers on Halloween, Trotz was frustrated that the Capitals didn’t have enough traffic in front of the net. He changed the lines in the third period of that game, putting a “worker” on each line in the hopes of creating more net presence. It worked, and Washington tied the score that period and then won in overtime. Trotz tried the same tactic Thursday to start the third period, but even a shake-up of the forward trios couldn’t help the Capitals. His message to the team was to win the first 10 minutes by scoring a goal and then try to get another one in the last 10 minutes. But less than six minutes into the period, Tom Wilson got a major for boarding and a game misconduct, leaving Washington shorthanded for five minutes when it was desperate to score. On the ensuing penalty kill, T.J. Oshie drew a tripping penalty by Dmitry Kulikov to make it four-on-four for two minutes, a lift for the Capitals. Ekblad’s snipe came in that four-on-four, and the 3-0 deficit ended any hope. The Capitals finished with 20 shots on goal, well off their pace of 31.3 shots per game entering Thursday night. “We didn’t do enough to win,” Trotz said. “We don’t deserve to win.” |