
Bob Frid — Imagn ImagesThe Washington Capitals had the chance to get back on the right side of things on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks, with Tom Wilson back in the lineup and Vancouver having dropped the last 11 games. However, the same inconsistencies struck again.
Dylan Strome struck twice and added an assist, adn Justin Sourdif also had a multi-point game while John Carlson hit the 600-assist milestone, but it wasn't enough in a 4-3 loss to the Canucks.
Here are the takeaways as the Capitals dropped their fourth straight conversation.
The Capitals had an early 5-on-3 opportunity and took advantage of it, with Tom Wilson and Justin Sourdif doing what they could to spark the power play.
Strome struck first on the 5-on-3, and just 1:18 minutes later, Sourdif picked up his 10th of the season at 5-n-4 to give D.C. an early 2-0 lead.
However, that pressure wouldn't last as the Capitals stepped off the gas. Brock Boeser and Evander Kane struck soon after to even the score going into the second, and then, in the middle frame, two quick goals from Drew O'Connor and Filip Hronek doubled the lead for Vancouver.
It was all too familiar for D.C., who was left trailing and having to dig out of a hole going into the third.
The Capitals did try to come back, with Strome scoring his second of the night and 13th of the season, but it wasn't enough for D.C. to rally.
Logan Thompson stopped 21 of 25 shots in the loss, and though special teams took a step in the right direction, 5-on-5 play left a lot to be desired.
There was also a need for more pucks on net, and at times, Washington couldn't get much going.
On the bright side, the Capitals got a key member of the lineup back with Wilson returning from a lower-body injury.
After missing the last eight games, Wilson picked up where he left off, logging 20:20 minutes and picking up an assist to extend his personal point streak to four games.
Meanwhile, Carlson's multi-assist outing led to him hitting 600 in his career.