The Washington Capitals fell to the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 on Saturday afternoon. It was their second straight loss coming off a weeklong break and things are spiraling out of control quickly for this team.
It got ugly right from the start 11 seconds into the contest on a goal from Claude Giroux and the Flyers never looked back. The lone Capitals goal came on the power play from T.J. Oshie. Their loss dropped their record to 28-17-9 with the high flying Toronto Maple Leafs coming to town tomorrow night.
If the Caps were to bounce back after this thud, they need to play a full 60 and a good start is paramount. The opening 20 minutes was awful and despite putting the pressure on in the final 40 minutes, they only had one goal to show for it.
It’s wild that it came on the power play but having Oshie back could help a unit that has otherwise struggled all season. But now the five on five might be alarming. In Washington’s other defeat last week to the New York Rangers, the team scored just one goal at even strength in the waning seconds from Alex Ovechkin. That’s just one goal at even strength in the last 120 minutes combined.
In the last 40 minutes of yesterday’s game, the Caps outshot the Flyers 15-8 at five on five and 19-8 overall. Ilya Samsonov, despite letting in a few squeakers early kept the Caps in the game as best as he can.
Ever since the calendar flipped to 2022, the Caps are 8-11-2 in 21 games. The fact they even won eight games during that stretch is amazing. In that stretch, they’re ranked 23rd in the NHL. The Flyers are at the bottom of the barrel having won just their third game in 2022. They’re 3-14-4.
Postgame media availability with head coach Peter Laviolette after this afternoon's tilt in Philadelphia.#CapsFlyers | @SociosUSA pic.twitter.com/FPIs5KIybS
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 26, 2022
The Caps have averaged 2.71 goals per game since Jan. 1 which places them 22nd in the league. The trade deadline is looming. The playoffs will be here before we know it. The window is closing and it might close faster than we anticipated if the Caps don’t bounce back soon.
You can blame injuries and COVID-19 but that’s hurt every team across all sports. Something has to happen whether it be a trade or a complete revamp of the forward lines. Maybe a trade will happen that will revamp the lines. They might need a forward and be better off keeping Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek so they can audition for that number one goaltending spot.