Capitals run into some of the same issues in loss to Panthers: numbers for the morning after

The Washington Capitals couldn’t double down on wins after a big two points in Raleigh as they fell 6-3 to the Florida Panthers on Thursday night. The team has now lost seven of their last nine games.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned at this point. They’re still playing great, but there are some clear issues.

• Another game where the Capitals control play at five-on-five, but can’t finish their chances and get smoked on special teams. I don’t know if you need me to relitigate this stuff again, but they went 0-for-2 while up a man and gave up two power-play goals. I think the lack of scoring was actually the larger problem in this particular game, as I believe that if they had capitalized early, the game could have been over midway through the second period.
• Logan Thompson was also not very good. He stopped just 22 of the 27 shots he faced, allowing, per MoneyPuck, 1.01 more goals than expected. Daniil Tarasov, in net for the Panthers, made 37 stops on 40 shots and saved 0.05 more goals than expected. I also think Tarasov was far better than the numbers actually show. His rebound control was insane.
• Rasmus Sandin had a really great night, recording two points (1g, 1a), five shots on goal, two hits, and a shot block. With him on the ice five-on-five, the Capitals finished up 30-6 in shot attempts, 15-4 in scoring chances, and 7-2 in high-danger chances. Masterful performance.

• Ryan Leonard was also sensational, firing a career-high seven shots on goal. He played 15:07 time on ice in the loss, nearly six more minutes than he did in the win over Carolina. Head coach Spencer Carbery moved him up into the top six with Dylan Strome and Anthony Beauvillier, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see that change stick for the team’s next game.
• Brandon Duhaime kicked off the scoring for the Capitals for a third straight game. He is the sixth player in franchise history to do so and the first since Strome did during the 2022-23 season.
• I said this in the recap, too, but I really think the Capitals need another top-six forward. I thought that over the summer, and that was before they had lost Pierre-Luc Dubois to a long-term injury. The Capitals have recorded the fourth most expected goals per 60 minutes in the NHL this season (3.6), but rank just 23rd in goals scored (49).