The Washington Capitals fell behind early against the Seattle Kraken and couldn’t find a way to regain momentum, losing 4-1 to one of the hottest teams in the NHL.
The win for Seattle carries them to their eighth consecutive win and solidified points in their last 12 games.
For Washington, Max Pacioretty scored the Capitals’ lone goal on the night, netting a goal off a feed from Dylan Strome. Pacioretty’s wrist shot goal in the second period was his first goal in over a year and his second point in two games.
“Personally, I’ve been getting more and more comfortable, four games in a row now,” Pacioretty told media members post-game. He went on to say, “It felt good. It felt better to have a little bit of confidence and poise with the puck, and tonight was the first night I felt like I was able to make some plays. I know it’s not enough because we didn’t win the game, but I’m just looking to get better every game, and I’ve done that so far.”
On the defensive side, the Capitals struggled to keep pace with a high-octane Kraken offensive attack that got to work right from the start.
Tye Kartye and Alexander Wennberg scored goals in the first period and sent the Kraken to the first intermission with a 2-0 lead. Pacioretty’s first goal as a Capital cut the lead to one goal six minutes into the period. But former Capital Justin Shultz scored a deflection goal in the closing minutes of the second period to reinstate a two-goal lead heading into the third period, where the Kraken would add one more and leave Capital One Arena 4-1 winners.
Between the pipes for Washington was Darcy Kuemper, who finished the game 19-23 on saves, allowing four goals.
“I thought we had a few breakdowns where we give them opportunities where we just have to be way tighter,” Head Coach Spencer Carbery said at the podium after the loss. “The third period, too, that’s disappointing. There should be way more of a push from our group, from our leadership, top to bottom, and there wasn’t.”
Full postgame media availability with head coach Spencer Carbery following this evening's contest against Seattle.#CapsKraken pic.twitter.com/uCpwiskcZB
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 12, 2024
On the injury front, Tom Wilson was scratched from the lineup with an upper-body injury. He participated in practice on Wednesday, so we expect to see Wilson in the lineup in the coming days.
Returning to the ice for the Capitals was TJ Oshie, who recently traveled home to Minnesota to treat his upper body injury. His return is a positive sign for the Capitals, who also await the return of Sonny Milano and Goalie Charlie Lindgren.
Looking ahead for the Capitals, a Saturday and Sunday back-to-back with the Metro Division-leading New York Rangers come with significant playoff implication points on the line. Washington is 1-1 facing the Rangers this season, winning 4-0 on December 9th and falling to them 5-1 on December 27th.
At 26-12, the Rangers sit atop the Metro Division with 54 points. The Capitals have fallen to 7th in the division with 44 points and will be searching desperately for points in the weeks ahead. Saturday’s matchup will be in Capital One Arena with a puck drop at 1 pm before the Caps head up to New York after the game to play again on Sunday.