The Capitals bench boss reflects on what went wrong against Montreal and what needs to change against a difficult slate of upcoming opponents.
WASHINGTON — As Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery watched the scoreboard reach 3-0 in the first period on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens, he looked over to Charlie Lindgren, pulling his recently chosen No. 1 from the cage and putting in Darcy Keumper.
It was difficult for him to blame the netminder, but he needed something — anything — to try and spark his hockey club. But looking back, it wasn't so much on Lindgren, but on the team as a whole, as Carbery saw a narrative he knows all too well play out in front of him: turnovers and miscues leading to critical goals against.
"Just (to) change momentum. The chances we give up, it's just, it's the same old story," Carbery said of the decision to pull Lindgren. "We just made some massive mistakes there that, unfortunately for us, are just happening to different guys each night."
Washington sits seven points out of a playoff spot, and with their main competitors in the East picking up crucial points on Tuesday, the race got even tighter. Not only that, but the road ahead is difficult and features top-tier opponents, including the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and Vancouver Canucks.
So for Carbery, the main goal is to clean up those errors and get his team back on track.
"It's tough, I feel for them because they're trying, but at the end of the day, in pro hockey, in the National Hockey League, you gotta be able to perform if you're going to win games against another team that's obviously competing hard."
The Capitals will take the ice for one final practice before leaving for Florida as they continue to shake off the rust from the All-Star Break. This week marks their annual mentors' trip, which should add some motivation.
But at the end of the day, the game plan remains the same as the team still hopes to push for the postseason.
"I don't think (the message) changes. We as a group and a staff know it's just day by day, and all we're doing is trying to help our guys and our group get better individually and collectively," Carbery said.