WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals said that Tuesday's performance against Calgary was a one-off, but the same issues came back to haunt them once again on Thursday against the St. Louis Blues. And again, it cost them.

Connor McMichael had a strong night offensively, but the Capitals were unable to find much chemistry, and simple mistakes and a lack of execution, as well as the absence of Tom Wilson, led to its second consecutive regulation loss of the season, a 5-2 defeat.

Here are all the takeaways.

Capitals Start On Wrong Foot Again, Can't Click As Lines Shuffle

The Capitals by no means got off to the start they wanted, as a lack of chemistry and execution up front had them chasing the Blues all night long.

Washington made simple mistakes and couldn't really connect much on offense, and a lack of time and space didn't make things easier for D.C. All the while, St. Louis was able to capitalize, with Philip Broberg striking twice in the first period to leave the Capitals trailing 2-1 going into the second.

It marks the second consecutive game that the Capitals' start proved costly, and the offense also failed to generate a lot of high-quality chances.

Ultimately, the lines shifted later in the game, with Ethen Frank moving up to work with Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin, but ultimately, the shake-up wasn't enough to ignite a spark.

Tom Wilson's Absence Looms Large, Jakub Vrana Draws Back In As Connor McMichael Steps Up

Not only was Washington failing to get much going in the ways of offense, but the Capitals were also playing without a key member of the lineup, as Tom Wilson was a late scratch due to illness.

Jakub Vrana drew in in his palce for his first game since Jan. 6, and though he had a couple of good looks, he couldn't fill Wilson's void completely.

Taylor Raddysh filled in for Wilson instead for the first 40 minutes before being replaced by Aliaksei Protas in the third, and picked up an assist. However, the player who would ultimately step up with Wilson out was Connor McMichael, who has been finding his game again down the stretch.

McMichael had an assist and picked up his 21st goal of the season, and he now has points in five of his last six.

Poor Playmaking, Mistakes Prove Costly As Capitals Get Away From Identity

The Blues also did a good job of making sure that Washington couldn't sustain much momentum, and even after tying it up twice thanks to Pierre-Luc Dubois and Connor McMichael, St. Louis responded to restore the lead and put things out of reach.

Ultimately, back-to-back second period goals from Dylan Holloway and Colton Parayko that came off poor coverage in front proved too much to come back from.

The Capitals couldn't recover in the third, and giveaways, disconnected passes and more issues up front led to a lack of offense and didn't allow the team to get much going against Joel Hofer, who stopped 17 of 19. The late rally also lacked much of a spark, as the team surrendered an empty netter to Jake Neighbours for the 5-2 defeat.

Over the last couple of games, the Capitals have gotten away from their identity and usual style of play, and they'll want to get it back as they continue their final stretch ahead of the playoffs.