Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Losing Streaks Can’t Pile Up, But Winning Streaks Must
Two things that the Washington Capitals were remarkably good at it 2014-15: avoiding long losing streaks and maintaining winning streaks. They only had one losing streak of five games and just two losing streaks of at least four games. While they only had one four-game winning streak, they had eight winning streaks of at least three games and just three losing streaks that extended at least three games (which includes those two losing streaks of at least four). That is a recipe for success and it’s something that the Washington Capitals hope to carry over into 2015.
Losing is fine. It’s going to happen in the cruel sport of hockey. You’re going to lose games that you dominate. You’re going to lose games that you just can’t catch a break in. What’s important is forgetting about those games and focusing on winning the next game. The Caps did this well. No matter how long the winning streak or losing streak, head coach Barry Trotz ensured that the Caps didn’t get too high or too low.
Of course, you need to get a little lucky in order to avoid losing streaks and sustain winning streaks. However, if you have an elite goaltender who can consistently put you in a position every game, that tends to overrule said luck. The Washington Capitals have an elite goaltender in Braden Holtby. He’s going to be an important part of fulfilling this key to success. At times last year, the Caps struggled to score goals. Amazingly, that’s when Holtby had some of his biggest games. Thanks to a much deeper forward core, they likely won’t need to rely on Holtby as much as they did in 2015.
Next: Secondary Scoring