When the Washington Capitals left fans last Friday night, an electrifying come-from-behind victory against the Philidelphia lifted Capital One Arena to its feet and, more importantly, brought the Capital’s playoff chances roaring back to life.
Two days later, however, Capitals Head Coach Spencer Carbery took to the podium to break down what he called “the most disappointing game I’ve coached this year,” A 5-2 loss to the lowly Arizona Coyotes that perfectly encapsulates Washington’s wildly inconsistent 2024 campaign to date.
Here are three takeaways from Washington’s disastrous loss to Arizona.
The playoffs are slipping away.
Entering their Sunday showdown with the Coyotes, the Capitals were just a few points outside the third spot in the Metro Divison, with head-to-head victories over third-place Philidelphia and two games in hand over the final two months.
But by the time the sun set on Sunday evening, Spencer Carbery’s Capitals found themselves in a far different set of circumstances. Washington now sits seven points behind the pace of the Flyers for the third spot and seven points behind both the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightening for Wild Card Spots.
The Capitals have shown at times that they can skate with the league’s best, beating the likes of the Bruins and Rangers, for example. But they have yet to take advantage of the momentum their schedule has gifted them, and given that it’s March, chances are it’s too late.
The Capitals have to be trade deadline sellers.
One of the great stories of the 2024 season for the Caps has been the resurgent return of Anthony Mantha. He posted all-time high scoring and point totals as a Capital over the last season and has played a considerable part in Washington’s ability to hang around in the playoff conversation.
But Mantha will finish this season as an unrestricted free agent, and given his rising stock, made almost certain that Washington would look to move on, and they did so on Tuesday.
Washington traded Mantha to the Vegas Golden Knights for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick. Washington will also carry half his remaining salary for the rest of the season.
Capitals GM Brian MacLellan spoke with the media on Monday following the 5-2 loss and spoke of what’s ahead for his squad. “I see that math; I think it’s unlikely,” MacLellan said regarding his team’s chances of making the playoffs.
“We have a week left to make some decisions. I think our priority would be the future of our club. It’s not, you know, ‘Hey, we’re going to go out and rent a guy for the playoffs.’ We’re not in that game. We’re here to look for opportunities to find more young players, add more young players to our roster, and still compete,” he added.
Outside of Mantha, the Capitals enter this year’s deadline with several Unrestricted Free Agents who could be on the move for future assets. Players like Max Pacioretty and Joel Edmonson are both set to hit free agency at the end of the season.
“We’re not going to just sit here and just dump players at the deadline,” MacLellan said. “If something makes sense for us, if it’s a good trade and I think it’s good value or it helps our organization out, we have to consider it. But just to blindly go in and say we’re just getting rid of all these guys, we’re not going to do that.”
At least we have Alex Ovechkin.
There are few things more consistent in Washington, D.C., than traffic, quarterback controversies, and Alex Ovechkin put on a show. While the race to 894 goals seemed to take its time a few months ago, Alex Ovechkin has looked more like his old self in recent weeks.
“The Great 8”, who surpassed Gordie Howe for goals in NHL history last season, is coming off the longest goal-scoring streak in his career and currently has the record in power-play goals at 306 and holds a 32-goal lead over the second-place left winger David Andreychuk, who has 274 goals.
While his 17 goals on the season are a ways from his 42 goals last year and 52 goals in 2022, his production is returning to a pace that gives him a chance to reload for next year and take his crack at the record.
Ovi’s 17th goal on Friday night against the Flyers cut Gretzky’s lead to 55 goals, and with 22 games remaining in the season, it’s safe to bet Alex Ovechkin will finish with 20+ goals.
Even if he doesn’t, the current 55-goal deficit is far from unheard of for the Capitals’ captain, given he posted just two years ago.
So, while the Capital’s playoff hopes fade into the sunset, we can always rely on the greatest goal-scorer of our lifetime to keep our hopes up.