A game that started out fairly even quickly got out of hand, as the Caps fell victim to some quick-strike goals by the Islanders – and not just once, but twice, for double the fun – and ultimately fell 5-1.
How much of that has to do with losing both Charlie Lindgren and Martin Fehervary in the first half of the opening frame is hard to pin down, but the Caps really never got much going after that and saw the Islanders’ 20th-ranked offense take off. They just didn’t have an answer for the Holmtrom-Pageau-Gauthier line (or really any of them, but that trio was particularly productive in this one) and it cost them another lopsided win.
Three Takeaways:
- Nothing takes the wind out of your sails quite like quick-strike tallies, and this was the second-straight game in which the Caps gave up goals within two minutes of each other in the middle frame…and then they added another set in the third period, just to add injury to insult.
- Heading into the holiday break, the Caps had gone eight straight games without allowing more than three goals, keeping opponents to two or less in six of those eight. In the two games since? Nine goals against, and just a single goal for. It’d be easy to point the finger at Darcy Kuemper, who has borne the brunt of that onslaught, but the man is getting absolutely no help – defensively or offensively.
- The Caps now have 11 regulation losses on the season. In none of those losses have they scored more than one goal. So it feels like maybe they should try…scoring more than one goal. See how that works out for them.
They said it: Sigh.