With last night’s 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues, the Washington Capitals have lost two consecutive games in regulation for just the third time this season. The last time it happened? December 16th in Dallas and December 17 in Chicago. There were a few key factors working against Washington last night, the most obvious being they were so clearly missing Tom Wilson on the ice. He was out last night due to illness, and no one really stepped up to fill the gap he left in the lineup. They were also far too casual with the puck, which is a carryover from Tuesday’s loss to Calgary. Let’s unpack a key sequence where that was on display.
In just 63 seconds during the second period, the game shifted completely in the Blues’ favor. This sequence actually started with Connor McMichael’s 21st goal of the season at 16:55 of the middle frame. it was a beautiful play that started with McMichael getting around Oskar Sundqvist at the half wall and ended with a rocket of a snap shot over Joel Hofer’s glove. This tally tied the game up at 2-2, and it sounded like the crowd was finally back in it after the Caps’ slow start.
Unfortunately, the swing in momentum was immediately stopped 28 seconds later when Dylan Holloway got the lead back for St. Louis at 17:23. Defenseman Ryan Suter had plenty of time and space to line up a shot from the blueline and fire it on net. Holloway was in the middle of a group of four skaters in the slot and tipped it perfectly over Charlie Lindgren’s blocker. Lindgren had absolutely no idea where the puck was as soon as it left Suter’s stick, and this was one he’ll definitely want back. No worries though, the score was still only 3-2, the Caps can absolutely bring the game back in their favor.
Just kidding, because 35 seconds later Colton Parayko gave the Blues a 4-2 lead with a goal after a scramble in the crease. This goal wasn’t pretty, and the Caps could have benefitted from a lot more net-front defense here. The most frustrating part of this goal, though, was that it completely sucked the energy out of the team and the home crowd. After this, the Capitals just couldn’t get anything going and looked defeated for the rest of the evening. The offense went cold again in the third period, and the Blues sealed their victory with an empty netter to make it 5-2.