The Capitals want to see Nick Jensen rebound after some struggles so far in 2023-24.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — For Washington Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen, Saturday's game is one he wants to forget, but also needs to remember as he goes forward.
Head coach Spencer Carbery cited issues for No. 3 in Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators, which led to him skating just 14:53 minutes that night. As a result, he was the odd man out when it came time to make decisions on the blue line, with Martin Fehervary appearing set to return from injury.
"I thought he really struggled last game," Carbery said.
Jensen, who signed a three-year extension in February in the midst of a trade deadline sell-off, hasn't been able to recapture his strong play from last season. He has just six assists and a plus/minus rating of minus-5 through 34 games. His 31 giveaways this year are also the second-most among the team behind John Carlson.
The 33-year-old also ranks last among Capitals defensemen with at least 11 games played in Corsi-for percentage (45.36) and expected goals-for percentage (42.01) at 5-on-5, and he has been on the ice for 21 total goals against at even strength.
Watching him on the ice, there have been some mistakes when it comes to playing the puck and being in the right place at the right time. But ultimately, despite his woes, one thing that hasn't faltered is his work ethic.
"I thought Jens had gone on a real good run of playing solid, reliable minutes for us. He's always going to be great on the penalty kill; he does a good job there," Carbery said. "Competes his butt off every second of every shift, so that stuff is never an issue."
At the end of the day, Washington wants to see Jensen rebound, and it starts with the mental side of his game. He will avoid a healthy scratch for the first game of the back-to-back, but the team does want him to stay on guard.
"It's more the puck play and the positioning and the decisions and when that gets away from him, that's where we got to get that back in check," Carbery said. "The other night, it got away from him a little bit. So that's where we as coaches and Mitch Love need to find different options."