The Capitals have dropped three of the last four contests and are looking to turn things around going into a showdown against the surging Wild.
For coach Spencer Carbery, the Washington Capitals have taken a bit of a step back, making the team's upcoming showdown in Minnesota even more pivotal.
Ahead of Tuesday's contest with the Wild, who bolstered their roster this past week by bringing in top defenseman Quinn Hughes, Carbery cited the need for D.C. to get things back on track amid a recent drop in performance.
"Just feel like there's a couple of things that have started to slip with our group," Carbery explained. "The checking spart, there's some unique scenarios where we can do a better job."
Washington has points in nine of the last 10 games, but is coming off a lackluster 5-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, which was preceded by a lopsided shootout defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes, who dominated in the offensive zone all night long.
For Carbery, that's the biggest area that needs improvement.
"I just (feel) like our offensive game, our game with the puck, has slipped a little bit. You see it in our underlying numbers, I see in in the film," Carbery said. "We're not quite as crisp with the puck or as predictable to one another. That's what I'm paying attention to right now."
Since the team's 7-1 outburst and big win over the San Jose Sharks, D.C. has struggled a bit, dropping three of the last four contests while struggling in different aspects of the game.
Most notably, the power play has gone 1-for-13, and the team has been outshot by its opponent in each of the last four outings.
"The point being, we just gotta get our game in check here. It hasn't looked nearly as good lately," Carbery said, noting that Ryan Leonard's injury certainly doesn't help the situation. "Leonard, (Pierre-Luc Dubois), whatever you want to point to, we can all do a better job, players and coaches included."
That said, it won't be easy going into Minnesota. The Wild have won four straight games and are 7-2-1 in the last 10, with goaltender Jesper Wallstedt stealing the show and now, Hughes adding even more jump to an already-deep group.
Ultimately, though, Carbery sees it as a vital test for D.C.
"They're as hot, if not the hottest team in the NHL, feeling really good about themselves right now. They make a huge trade (for Hughes)... for a team (that) plugs an added jump to your entire group when you get a player like that," Carbery said. "So, significant challenges tomorrow night for our group, but also a good opportunity to play against the league's best right now in their building. Good opportunity for us to respond with the way we've been playing of late."