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Can The Washington Capitals Rebound From Their Slump?

By Corey Parkinson

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 23: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals appears shaken up after hitting his teammate T.J. Oshie #77 (not shown) during action against the Toronto Maple Leafs in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 23, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Capitals 6-3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 23: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals appears shaken up after hitting his teammate T.J. Oshie #77 (not shown) during action against the Toronto Maple Leafs in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 23, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Capitals 6-3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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The Washington Capitals are stuck in the worst slump they’ve had in five years. Can they get out of it?

The Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals currently sit at 27-17-6 with 60 points through 50 games and are 2nd in the Metro Division behind the New York Islanders. Unfortunately, January has been very unkind as the Capitals are just 3-6-3 including 0-5-2 since their last win against Boston on January 10.

The Capitals have been known for having rough mid-season slumps in past years, but they are riding a seven-game losing streak which they haven’t experienced since 2014. One of the contributing factors to their losing streak is the team’s goaltending which has allowed an astronomical 38 goals during that span.

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Goaltender Braden Holtby has allowed 23 goals since returning to the lineup from an eye injury sustained in a 2-1 overtime loss against Columbus on January 12. Backup Phoenix Copley hasn’t fared much better allowing 11 goals in the two games he played in place of Holtby. The team as a whole is 22nd in GAA with 3.08 and are 27th with 1614 shots allowed.

Another issue facing the Capitals is their offensive production from some of their key role players. Andre Burakovsky, who has emerged as a possible trade candidate in recent weeks, has scored only six goals in 44 games to go along with six assists.

Evgeny Kuznetsov has also been silent when it comes to scoring, as he only has nine goals in 44 games. However, at least he has contributed 32 assists. His lack of scoring has caused him to be moved to the second line leading into the All-Star Game.

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The Capitals have also played 156 games in the last year and a half, which has caused many to believe that the team is showing signs of fatigue. Alex Ovechkin may have something to say about that though as he is showing no signs of fatigue. Ovechkin currently leads the league again in goals with 37 and he also has 20 assists, which places him fourth on the team behind Carlson (39), Backstrom (38), and Kuznetsov (32).

Tom Wilson, who earlier this season served a 14-game suspension has 13G and 10A in only 31 games and is one goal shy of tying his career high. T.J. Oshie and Jakub Vrana have also been strong contributors adding 15 goals and 13 assists each.

The Capitals have shown signs that they may be breaking out offensively having scored 14 goals in their last three games going into the All-Star Break. Goals from Matt Niskanen, Brett Connolly, and Andre Burakovsky have rejuvenated the team. The upcoming schedule may also benefit the teams scoring as they have games against Los Angeles, Buffalo, Anaheim, Colorado, and Florida.

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Coming out of the break the Capitals will be without team captain Alex Ovechkin against Calgary as he serves a mandatory one-game suspension for not participating in this year’s All-Star Game, but if their last three games are any indication, then the Stanley Cup Champions are about to go on a favorable run. Every team in the Metro Division should take notice.

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