Oct. 18 vs. Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Center
Time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: MNMT
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
Washington Capitals (1-1-0)
Ottawa Senators (2-1-0)
Two nights after notching their first win of the season – and the first victory of Spencer Carbery’s NHL coaching career – the Capitals change up the environment for the first time this season. After playing their first two games on home ice, the Caps depart for Ottawa, the first stop on a two-game road trip this week. Washington faces the Senators on Wednesday night, then it will move on to Montreal, where it has a Saturday Hockey Night in Canada date with the Canadiens.
After suffering the first opening night shutout loss in franchise history on Friday against Pittsburgh, the Caps evened their record with an uneven performance, a 3-2 shootout win over Calgary on Monday night. A win is a win, and two points is two points, but the Caps know they can and must play much better than they have in their first two games of the season.
Goaltender Darcy Kuemper was magnificent on Monday against the Flames, stopping 38 of the 40 shots he faced. Kuemper kept the Caps close until Washington’s offense was finally able to light the lamp early in the second period of the game against Calgary. Matthew Phillips’ first NHL goal came at the expense of his former employer, cutting a two-goal Calgary lead in half. Just over three minutes later, Phillips collected his first career assist on Connor McMichael’s tying tally, and neither team scored in the second half of the contest. Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov was the lone scorer for either side in the shootout.
The Caps rallied back from a two-goal deficit to win, but they’re still seeking their footing overall. Following Monday’s win, Carbery noted that his team has been getting its “wires crossed” in the early going. Early season NHL hockey is sometimes characterized by lengthy stretches of ugly hockey; teams play a number of preseason games, but typically not with or against regular season caliber NHL lineups. The adjustment period can take some time, particularly when a team has a number of new coaches, as is the case with Washington.
“We are hard at work, trying to speed up that process as quickly as possible,” says Carbery. “Puck management is a major issue for us, off entries, in the offensive zone. Breaking out, whether that’s off a dump in or even just simply breaking out of our [defensive] zone off of some [defensive] zone coverage.
“We just have to correct some of those things. Some of it is decisions, some of it is execution and puck play. It’s putting us in really, really difficult spots as a team during games, as you saw [Monday], where we’re under attack for large stretches where we fail to manage the puck in certain situations. And at this level when you do that, it now will compound to two shifts, three shifts, and now you’re just begging to get off the ice. And now a good line is coming over [the boards] and now they’ve got you pinned again, and it’s hard to change momentum in this League.”
While the Caps continue to find their way, they still need to maintain a steady diet of incoming points to stay within shouting distance of the rest of the pack. They’re still trying to grasp the Carbery system while developing chemistry and rhythm with linemates and blueline partners, and as Carbery notes, they’re trying to speed up the process.
Carbery wants the Caps to play with pace and to make plays, and they need to realize that those “plays” aren’t always going to be sexy.
“He really wants us to make plays,” says Caps’ winger Tom Wilson of his new coach. “But we have to understand that sometimes plays aren’t always there. I think [Monday] night, we started simplifying our game. The first couple of periods, we were trying every little play, and we started hanging onto it a little bit too much.
“We have to find that happy medium where we’re making plays when they’re there, but there are going to be times where you’ve got to rip the puck on net, or to get it up top and bomb it. And [the Flames] came out shooting like crazy, and you feel like you’re back on your heels a little bit.
“I think we will find our stride and find the right balance of pucks to the net. And once pucks start going in a little bit, you start getting more confidence, you start making those plays and you build from there.”
Ottawa started its season on the road, dropping a 5-3 decision to the Hurricanes in Raleigh a week ago. The Sens then returned home for a five-game homestand. Ottawa swept a weekend set of back-to-backs on home ice, downing Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon and taking out Tampa Bay on Sunday night, by identical 5-2 scores.
Sens center Josh Norris practiced with the team on Tuesday as he gets closer to returning from a shoulder injury that limited him to just eight games worth of action last season, but isn’t likely to play as soon as Wednesday. Star winger Tim Stützle took a maintenance day on Tuesday, but he is expected to be in the lineup against the Caps.
Washington’s visit on Wednesday is the middle match of the homestand; the Sens host Detroit on Saturday and Buffalo on Tuesday before taking to the road again. The Caps don’t visit Ottawa again this season, but they’ll host the Senators twice in the second half of the campaign. The Sens are in Washington on Feb. 26 and April 7 this season.
