The Washington Capitals lost hold of a two-goal lead late in the second period to fall to the Dallas Stars in a shootout. In a night filled with milestones, Washington ripped defeat from the jaws of victory after allowing two unanswered goals by Dallas to force the game to an overtime period and eventually a shootout in which the Capitals would fail to score.
The good and bad were on full display from the Caps, who now find themselves amid a three-game losing streak.
Full postgame media availability with head coach Spencer Carbery following this evening's contest against Dallas.#CapsStars pic.twitter.com/bYIam7C7Fx
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 8, 2023
“A lot of mistakes,” Head Coach Spencer Carbery told reporters at the podium after the game.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do. We make some mistakes that are just constantly digging ourselves in; it’s our whole lineup. Our entire lineup from top to bottom, just massive, massive
mistakes that you can’t make at this level if you expect to win hockey games, simply put.”
He said, “I’ll go through the film, and I’ll probably see 25 of those situations where you’re like, just head-scratching mistakes in moments where you have control of the game. That’s where we’ve got a long way to go to grow as a team; you just don’t make those mistakes when you’re trying to win games and protect leads.”
The good for the Capitals showed early and often with an offense that could find a grove early, netting the first goal of the game as well as scoring the team’s sixth power-play goal of the year.
But defensively, breakdowns and committed penalties opened the door for the Stars to take control and eventually win the game.
Evgeny Kuznetsov’s return to the lineup saw him suit up for his 700th career NHL game and found the back of the net in the second period to give the Caps a 3-1 lead. Dylan Strome scored his 100th career NHL goal in style, ending the game with two goals on six shots.
“I guess take the positives, scored some goals tonight. I thought we battled hard; we played solid,” Strome said in the locker room post-game. “They’re a good team for a reason; they take advantage of our mistakes.”
While we’re on the topic of milestones, Alex Ovechkin became only the 16th player in NHL History to have 1,500 points in his career and just the 6th to do so as a player on one team. His assist on Dylan Strome’s third-period wrist shot brought Capital One Arena to its feet.
Standing ovation for Alex Ovechkin as the #Caps’ captain is recognized for recording his 1,500th point. He’s the 16th player to reach the plateau and eighth to do it with one team. pic.twitter.com/wmdjqpmgco
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) December 8, 2023
Up next for Washington is a vital home matchup against the New York Rangers. The Caps will look to bounce back in a big way against a Metropolitan Division rival at home on Saturday, with the puck dropping at 7 PM EST at Capital One Arena.