Capitals: A look at how to fix the team in 2020

There was a time when the Washington Capitals were tops in the NHL standings. Since the New Year, they’ve been inconsistent.

If you look at where the Washington Capitals stand on the surface, you’d think they’re in pretty good shape with a 41-20-8 record sitting in first place in the Metropolitan Division.

But that record which gives them 90 points is a very slim margin for a red hot Philadelphia Flyers team who has caught their tail and beat the Caps in their last two meetings in D.C.

Just one point separates the Capitals and Flyers with the Pittsburgh Penguins trailing by just four. Recently, after dropping a tough game against the Flyers and the next night against the New York Rangers. the Capitals played a complete game in Pittsburgh getting a big win over their rivals.

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You’d think with all that momentum from Pittsburgh it would no doubt carry over into a contest against the lowly Buffalo Sabres. That wasn’t the case. Although the Caps came back from a 2-0 deficit to at least leave town with a point, it’s too late for moral victories.

Netminder Braden Holtby even said so when talking with The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir (subscription required):

"“Average, at best. This time of year, we want to be getting to the next level, and we’re staying average. We have to find a way to push forward here. With playing (like this) we’re not going to win any more than we lose. That’s not a recipe for the success we want to have.”"

The Capitals, to sum it up bluntly, have played inconsistently since late December into the new year. They’re just 15-14-3 in their last 32 games going back to Dec. 23 and they’ve only won back-to-back games once since the end of January.

One of the biggest factors of this drought is the amount of penalties the Capitals have taken game by game. The Caps rank fifth in the league with 699 penalty minutes including an average of 10:07 penalty minutes per game. They must stay out of the box and play a more disciplined game.

Todd Reirden also has to be held accountable for this. I’m not saying to let him go but his leadership needs to step up in a time like this. He has to keep his players motivated whether they play the Penguins or even the Detroit Red Wings.

Maybe a break is exactly what they need to recharge. After all, I’m sure they’ll be back to playing like the team we know and love in no time.