Another fast start by the Washington Capitals was washed out by poor play in the second period. The Capitals dropped their second straight game to the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4, this time losing in overtime on a goal by Sidney Crosby.
Overall, the season opening road trip was a success for the Caps (2-1-1) who come home with six points in their first four games. The two games in Pittsburg, however, raise some questions about the consistency of play.
Head coach Peter Laviolette was blunt about the team’s performance Monday night.
“The first period I thought was maybe one of our better periods of the year so far,” he said. “We shot ourselves in the foot in the second period with mental mistakes from all different areas and I thought we got out played in the third.”
The Caps started quickly. Lars Eller opened the scoring less than 5 minutes into the game on an assist from line mates Richard Panik and TJ Ohsie.
Prior to the game, Laviolette switched up lines, paring Oshie on the third line with Eller and Panik.
The Penguins tied the game on a goal from Colton Sceviour. Tom Wilson put Washington back on top just seconds later. The Capitals stretched the lead to 3-1 on Wilson’s second goal of the game with seventeen seconds left in the first period.
The turning point came midway through the second period. Leading 4-2, the Caps had a three-man breakaway but could not get the puck past Pens goalie Casey DeSmith.
Shortly after that, the Pens Teddy Blueger scored a shorthanded goal with the Caps on a two-man advantage.
“We should have closed the game when we were up 5 on 3 on the power play, I think,” Lars Eller said. “We just let them back in the game. The mistakes really cost us a point today so I hope we learned from that.”
The Caps were outshot again, 30-26. Rookie Goalie Vitek Vanecek made 26 saves but was the victim of both the shorthanded goal as well as a goal with the Penguins having a two man advantage.
Laviolette didn’t mince words when describing his disappointment with another inconsistent game. He seemed especially disappointed with how the team came out after being outplayed in the second.
It was an opportunity for us to test ourselves after a period where nothing really went our way,” he said of the second period. “I was looking for a different response I don’t think that we took control of that period (the third period) the way we needed to.”
The Capitals are tied for first in the East Division with Philadelphia. The team plays its first home game of the season Friday night against Buffalo, the first of six straight at Capital One Arena.