The Capitals couldn’t maintain momentum from their last game, and it proved costly against the Blues.
On Thursday, the Washington Capitals were able to put together a full 60 minutes and maintain speed for a big win over the St. Louis Blues. The tables were turned on Saturday.
Washington couldn’t get things going or find that spark, and also lost the special teams battle in a 3-0 loss to the Blues.
Here are all the takeaways:
Capitals Can’t Find Momentum, Lose Special Teams Battle
Washington was unable to get off to a strong start, and it proved costly and set a tone as the Blues tilted the ice early.
The Capitals gave up a shorthanded goal in the opening minutes, surrendered another in the second on a delayed penalty and scored on the power play in the third, ending a perfect 16-for-16 run over five games for D.C.
In the end, Washington couldn’t find any momentum at 5-on-5 or special teams and was also heavily outshot, 29-18.
Kuznetsov Demoted To Fourth Line, Dowd Takes Place On To Top-6
Head coach Spencer Carbery made a notable lineup change on Saturday, demoting Evgeny Kuznetsov to the fourth line and moving Nic Dowd up to the top-6 to operate with Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson.
Kuznetsov has been struggling to find consistency, and Washington wasn't getting the consistency it was looking for from his unit with Ovechkin and Wilson. Therefore, Dowd, who has five points in his last seven outings, got the call to move up in order to try and spark some offense.
In the end, it was a right call from Spencer Carbery. With Pacioretty-Strome-Oshie and Protas-McMcMichael-Mantha finding chemistry, the Capitals needed to spark something on its other top-6 line option, and moving up Dowd, who has been on a hot streak, could spark something. On the other side of the coin, it could also ignite something from Kuznetsov. Unfortunately, it didn’t pay off.