As The Capitals Head On A Long Road Swing, They Feel Ready To Get To The Crux Of The Issue: 'We're Doing Everything Just Okay'

WASHINGTON — For Nic Dowd, the Washington Capitals' issue of late is simple: they're playing "just okay" hockey.

In turn, it's leading to a lack of consistency and mounting losses on the scoreboard."

"I think that, at times, we're playing well, and I think that shows in parts of periods or a whole period or half a game. Unfortunately with the NHL, you know, you have to bring it every single night," Dowd explained, adding, "Otherwise you see things, like we dig ourselves in a whole, we have to come back, which is challenging against good teams, you take your foot off the gas... I just feel like we're doing everything just okay at times and haven't been able to collectively pull everything together."

The Capitals haven't won back-to-back games since Dec. 3, and have now dropped two straight contests after trading off wins and losses. With a 4-5-1 record over the last 10 games, D.C. sits fourth in a tight Metropolitan Division, one point out of third place and three out of second. The Wild Card race is even tighter.

Given how the standings look entering a season-long six-game road trip out West, Washington knows that it is one win streak away from turning the tide, and that it needs to strike while the iron's hot.

"There's no time to sulk. I think we're not even close to where we need to be, but we're one win streak away from being in a good position, I feel like. That's the focus," John Carlson explained, adding, "It doesn't matter how we feel or how sorry we are for ourselves, we're right in the thick of this thing."

Washington re-assigned Brett Leason to the AHL's Hershey Bears on Sunday, indicating that one of their ailing top players on the injured reserve — likely Tom Wilson — is ready to return to the mix, which should provide a significant boost up front.

Still, despite the injuries, which even general manager Chris Patrick said made it hard to evaluate where exactly the Capitals stand, the team feels the solution to its woes starts with a little more jump.

"We need to find that momentum as a group to change things for the better. Work harder, get to more pucks," Carlson added. "I think we can do better having some more consistent attacks, I think all those things help.

Defensive partner Jakob Chychrun agreed, citing the need for "more desparation and urgency" through 60 minutes.

"We just got to find ways here to be better for one another," Chychrun explained. "We always try so hard as a group but it seems right now everything's just a little bit off, so we got to find a way to get back to our game. Once we do that, I don't think we have any worries about this group and what we're capable of. We just got to quickly get back to what we know we can do."

Washington kicks off its voyage out west against the league-leading Colorado Avalanche, who are off to one of the best starts in NHL history but have stepped off the gas in the past couple of games.

With a challenging matchup and tall task on the horizon, the Capitals believe that they can use it as an opportunity to show what they're capable of going into the Olympic break, especially as the roster returns to full strength.

"I think consistently when we do (pull things together), I think we play really, really well and we're a really, really good hockey team," Dowd said.

"We can hopefully get into some consistency with our lineup ideally and then maybe that helps getting out on the road," coach Spencer Carbery added. "We'll see. You know that always can help, when you get out and play on a long road trip and see if that can spark something and a little bit of continuity."