The Capitals got off on the wrong foot, and it proved costly in a 5-3 loss to the Wild.

The Washington Capitals were looking forward to having a clean slate and making the most of some lineup changes against the Minnesota Wild after a struggle-filled weekend in St. Louis. Unfortunately, those woes followed them up north, and it led to another loss at a critical point in time for D.C.

Anthony Mantha and T.J. Oshie scored and almost sparked a late comeback effort, but another slow start, inconsistency and a lack of 5-on-5 offense resulted in a 5-3 loss to the Wild.

Here are all the takeaways from the defeat, which D.C. will have to shake off quickly with the team facing the Colorado Avalanche in just 24 hours and a Wild Card spot three points out of reach.

Capitals Start On Wrong Foot, Can't Overcome Major Deficit

For the second consecutive game, Washington got off to a rough start, and it happened just 1:37 minutes into play when Brock Faber scored to make it 1-0, converting on a rebound off the boards after going uncovered in front. Minutes later, Marcus Foligno caught a cross-ice feed from Matt Boldy and fired it past Darcy Kuemper to put Washington in a 2-0 hole just 4:42 minutes into play.

It set the tone as the Capitals had to play catchup the rest of the night, but they were simply outmatched by the Wild after that start.

Marcus Johansson would sting his former team again in the second to put Minnesota. up by three, beating Kuemper glove side, and early in the third, Joel Eriksson Ek fired home the dagger with his 20th of the season to restore the three-goal lead. Johansson struck again to make it 5-1 late.

Despite the late rally that pulled things to 5-3, it was too much to overcome.

Mantha & Oshie Chip In To Spark Late Comeback Effort, But Offense Struggles Again In Loss

Mantha was a bright spot for Washington, coming up with quite a few chances and getting two goals to spark D.C.'s offense and promote a late comeback. But other than that, there continues to be a lack of any kind of consistent spark at 5-on-5 over the course of the game, and that's what proved costly in the loss.

Head coach Spencer Carbery had to shuffle his already-changed combinations in the game; he started with Ovechkin-McMichael-Protas before moving Ovechkin to play with T.J. Oshie and Dylan Strome for a bit, while Max Pacioretty went to work with Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas. Ovechkin went back to work with McMichael and Oshie in the third.

The Mantha-Kuznetsov-Wilson and Malenstyn-Dowd-Aube-Kubel lines stayed together, and it proved to work, with the third line getting quite a few good looks and Mantha teaming up with Kuznesov for a goal on a give and go. It marked Mantha's 10th game-opening goal of the season and 13th overall on the year, while also ending four-game point droughts for him and Kuznetsov. Mantha struck again for his 14th late in the game after crashing the crease.

Washington also took a while to get a lot going on the man advantage, as the team failed to make the most of its three power-play opportunities or challenge Filip Gustavsson before finally getting a PP goal from T.J. Oshie late in the game on a deflection. It marked Oshie's sixth goal in as many games, and the team went 1-for-4 on the night.

There were flashes of strong play and there was an impressive final push, but it wasn't enough against the Wild. The final score wouldn't be as bad thanks to Mantha and Oshie making it a two-goal game, but that comeback needed to happen earlier on to lead to points in the standings.

Coverage In Front Of Kuemper Spotty As Blue Line Gets Shakeup Amid Sandin's Return

The Capitals got Rasmus Sandin back from injury on Tuesday, and he and Trevor van Riemsdyk would return to the lineup with Alex Alexeyev and Ethan Bear drawing out as healthy scratches.

Washington needed a bit more from its blue line, as the defensive pairings appeared out of sync at times and failed to pick up major threats in front of Kuemper from time to time. Kuemper finished with 25 saves on 30 shots, and while he may want some plays back, the coverage in front of him, especially in the first, left a bit to be desired. 

By The Numbers

- Martin Fehervary picked up an assist on Mantha's goal, and he now has a helper in three of his last four outings.

- Oshie sits two goals away from 300 in his career. 

- Max Pacioretty picked up a helper and now has three assists in his last three games, as does John Carlson.

- The Capitals went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.

- For the first time in his 19-year career, Ovechkin failed to pick up a point at Xcel Energy Center.

- Nic Dowd picked up an assist and has eight points in his last 12 games.