It wasn't a good night for the Capitals, who fell 6-1 to the Senators and lacked speed, coverage and execution.
After managing to squeak out a win on Monday, the Washington Capitals headed up north with hopes to keep the good times tolling. The Ottawa Senators had other plans, though, and it didn't take long for the wheels to fall off.
Josh Norris' season debut didn't bode well for the Capitals, who saw a lack of execution, speed and identity, as well as a poor defensive effort, result in a 6-1 loss.
Here are all the takeaways from the defeat.
Capitals Fail To Execute On Chances Early, Senators Take Over As Defense Struggles
Washington had its chances to open action on Wednesday, as Spencer Carbery's new lines did a good job of generating pressure and getting some looks. However, failure to maintain that momentum and capitalize it would lead to the Senators tilting the ice.
Vladimir Tarasenko and Norris struck in the first period, while John Carlson had the lone goal on a rebound thanks to a strong shift from the Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Tom Wilson line to make it 2-1 after 20.
The Capitals held the 12-6 advantage on shots on goal after that period, but after that, it was all Senators.
Ottawa made it nearly impossible for Washington to get anything going and dominated, easily tilting the ice in their favor, while Anton Forsberg also impressed in the crease.
The Senators took advantage of some poor defensive coverage too. It was a tough night in front of Darcy Kuemper, who finished with 23 saves on 29 shots (.793 save percentage). However, not all the blame goes on the netminder.
Ottawa's their forecheck had no issues with zone entires, tape-to-tape passing or getting to the crease. While there were a few missed calls, the missed assignments in front and defensive errors led to Ottawa managing four unanswered goals to win the game.
Lucas Johansen was a minus-3, while Nick Jensen and Martin Fehervary were both a minus-2.
Capitals Power Play Continues To Struggle, Alex Ovechkin Held Without Shot For 2nd Straight Game
Not only did the Capitals' offense struggle at even strength, but the power play also continued to struggle. Washington went 0-for-2 and has now failed to score on all six opportunities so far this season.
Meanwhile, Ovechkin was again held without a shot as he had four attempts blocked. He has not had a shot since the season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a 4-0 loss.
The longest he has gone without scoring to open the season is four games. That happened in 2012-13, but he ultimately ended up leading the league in goals that season.
Capitals Lack Speed & Identity, Nic Dowd Out With Injury
Another area the Capitals have been struggling with to start the year: speed. Ottawa was all over Washington and easily able to shut things down.
Meanwhile, the Capitals were without its top penalty killer and fourth line center, as Nic Dowd sat out Wednesday's loss with an upper-body injury.
Going forward, the team needs to start finding its footing and feet, but also needs to start adapting to Spencer Carbery's system and identity to get on track to open the season.