The performances of Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals have been less than impressive so far and we have to expect a possible comeback from the team that just suffered a thaw in Ottawa.
The Caps, who were beaten 6-1 by the Senators on Wednesday, can look forward to one win in three games this season. In addition to their shootout win against the Calgary Flames on Monday, they put on a miserable show on the ice. Among players who got off to a slow start, “Ovi” recorded just one assist and failed to record a shot on goal in two straight games during the regular season for the first time in his 1,350-game career.
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Ovechkin’s gang’s nearest rival, the Montreal Canadiens, risk facing hungry opponents on Saturday at the Bell Centre. According to striker Evgeny Kuznetsov, some deficiencies have been identified and quick adjustments are expected.
“It’s a tough defeat. It seems like every mistake we made resulted in the puck ending up in our net. When you play against a team like that, you know they will benefit from the energy of their goals and good plays. “We didn’t do a good job of eliminating scoring chances,” he lamented in an interview with the Capitals website.
That’s not good for morale
Head coach Spencer Carbery expressed similar sentiments after noting the Sens’ three goals allowed in the middle period. It seems that some players are still in training mode.
“It’s demoralizing because we’re really struggling. At the start of the campaign, several players try to win back their game. “Usually there are only a few, but the problem is that the puck ends up in our net,” he said. I don’t think it’s for lack of effort. We make turnovers and in a different year or situation this wouldn’t be a big problem. But every time it happens these days it ends with a scoring opportunity and you have to learn from that.”
Carbery is aware of the lack of performance in the offensive zone and hopes that his troops will show less generosity in the defensive zone. Should closed games be planned in Montreal?
“We are currently not executing the plan well offensively and defensively. Our offensive machine doesn’t work, whether it’s power play opportunities or two-on-one runs. The puck doesn’t reach the opponent’s net. The problem is that you have to become stronger defensively in order to survive, he said. When it comes to disk management, you need to achieve a near-perfect match. That’s what we don’t do.”