Last night was one of the Washington Capitals’ worst losses of the season. Yes, their road win streak came to an end in Dallas the night before, but that wasn’t a bad loss. Last night in Chicago, however? That was a tough one. The Caps were a tired team that fell into sloppy bad habits that cost them two points against the Chicago Blackhawks, one of the worst teams in the league.
The big swing in favor of the Blackhawks came in the second period. Despite neither team playing particularly well in the first frame, the Caps managed to score twice and carry a momentum advantage into the second. Unfortunately, that was in question when they took a bench minor for too many men just under halfway through. But wait, it gets worse, because the Capitals took a second too many men penalty immediately after the first one. Head Coach Spencer Carbery was…not happy.
That brutal and deflating sequence pretty much sealed the deal for the Capitals last night. The mistakes kept coming, and they saw their 2-0 lead slip away in the third. The Blackhawks got on the board with a shorthanded tally less than a minute into the third, and that was pretty much that.
Was this the toughest loss they’ve suffered this season? No, there were definitely others that felt worst. And did every part of the situation (fatigue on a back-to-back plus plane issues out of Dallas that meant same-day travel to Chicago) work against them? Absolutely. Even great teams lose every once in a while, and this is only the second time this season the Capitals lost two games in a row. Burn the tape, take a deep breath, and onto the next one.
There was one glorious moment for Washington last night: Andrew Mangiapane missed Monday night’s game in Dallas due to illness, but he was clearly feeling better last night because he scored what might be one of the prettiest goals of the season so far. The deke around TJ Brodie, the pass to himself between his legs, the toe drag…mamma mia!
Up next for the Capitals: returning home to face the Hurricanes this Friday, December 20 at 7pm ET.