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Nicklas Backstrom on the Capitals’ Poor Starts: ‘That’s Not Going to Work in the Playoffs”

Photo: Patrick Smith

The Capitals came back to beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2. Though they eventually had dramatic goals from Alex Ovechkin and Dmitry Orlov, they looked listless for more than 40 minutes of play. After the game, Caps head coach Barry Trotz could anticipate what was coming.

“It’s 31 times that we haven’t scored first,” Trotz told a reporter who asked about Washington’s poor play early on. “Not that I count it out.”

The Caps have now have now allowed the game’s first goal seven games in a row and 14 of their last 17 games. Many of these slow starts have been against mediocre teams like the Coyotes and the Wild who both made Washington look pathetic in the first period this week. The Capitals usually come back — barely. Twelve of their last 14 games have been decided by one goal. Eight of those 12 games were victories for Washington.

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John Carlson Misses Game Due to ‘Lingering’ Injury but the Capitals Think They’ll be Just Fine

Photo credit: Rob Carr

Last year, the Capitals’ top defense pair was John Carlson and Brooks Orpik. This year, those two have missed a combined 43 games. Tonight, it was Carlson’s turn again.

“He probably saw the doctors tonight and we’ll probably have an update (Saturday) because I don’t really know yet,” head coach Barry Trotz said. “He’s not 100 percent or he would have played tonight. It is a lingering of the old injury so we just want to have the opportunity to let’s get it settled down or fixed. Whatever we need to do let’s just do it so that it’s not lingering on.”

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By Chris Gordon 3 years ago

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Moar History for Alex Ovechkin After He Scores 40th Goal

Photo: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The league-leader in goals, Alex Ovechkin, scored again, Friday. The Ovi shot from the Ovi spot tied the Caps-Wild game 2-2.

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By Ian Oland 3 years ago

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Dmitry Orlov’s Sick Game-Winning Goal Sends One Fan Into Dance Fever

Caps defenseman Dmitry Orlov scoarlov’d in dramatic fashion Friday, dangling past Nino Niederreiter before trickling a backhand past Darcy Kuemper. It was his seventh goal of the season and would stand up as the game-winning goal.

You gotta see this.

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By Ian Oland 3 years ago

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Get Action: Caps Beat Wild 3-2

Wednesday night, we saw our best impression of the 2009 Capitals since Monday: don’t try for 40 minutes, score goals, and see what happens. With Adam Oates in the house, the Caps decided to suck some more, getting outside 9-2 at the midway point of the first period. It got worse. Mikko Koivu scored a power play marker with just 42 seconds left in the feckless frame. In the end, the Wild outshot the Caps 12-3. Shot attempts were 23-8 in Minnesota’s favor.

In the second, BROOKS ORPIK SCORED BECAUSE HE IS INFALLIBLE EVERYDAY.

Later in the period, Nino Niederreiter took a machete to the Caps defense like it was a Top Gear special. Things looked bleak.

Sometime in the third, the Caps decided to try to win, which is something that can be pretty good at. Alex Ovechkin promptly tied the game with his fortieth goal of the season on the you know what from the you know where. He’s the Marco Rubio of goals.

Dmitry Orlov made some Euro softie moves and scored a goal that went in somehow, as if placed in the net by Oates’s divine hand. Caps beat Wild 3-2.

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By Chris Gordon 3 years ago

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Braden Holtby, Alex Ovechkin, and Other Caps Players Pose With the Holtbeast Figurine

Friday night against the Wild, the Capitals gave away Holtbeast figurines to everyone in attendance. The action figure barely resembles Holtby, a point Holtbeast pointed out to the media, but that didn’t stop his teammates from having fun with it.

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By Ian Oland 3 years ago

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Caps vs Wild Pregame: End the One-Game Losing Streak

The Caps are at risk of doing that thing. You know that thing. That one thing where they lose two games in a row in rego. They haven’t done that yet and they don’t want to do that ever.

Playing guest at Verizon Center tonight is the Minnesota Wild, a desperate team and one not to underestimate. But they do have a pretty bad penalty kill, and Ovechkin is sitting at the cusp of 40 goals, so.

Time to do work. 7 PM on CSN.

Team	Record	Possession	PDO	Power Play	Penalty Kill
Washington Capitals	44-11-4	51.8%	102.0	22.9% (1st)	84.5% (4th)
Minnesota Wild	27-24-6	48.1%	100.8	18.3% (18th)	77.6% (27th)

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By Peter Hassett 3 years ago

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