"It's going to be a couple months of hard work and a lot of tight games; we got to be ready for that," Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk pledged.
The Washington Capitals were trailing 4-2 late against the Dallas Stars on Saturday and looked to be on pace to go home without a point to end what was a brutal four-game road trip for D.C. Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome had other plans, though, and ultimately forced overtime to secure a point in an eventual 5-4 loss.
While the result wasn't what D.C. had hoped for, it earned the team a critical point ahead of the All-Star Break.
"Obviously, it wasn't our best road trip. We got down a lot in all the first three games and this game. I think every game of this trip, we scored two late goals. It shows we don't quit and stick with it," Strome told reporters in Dallas. "Like coach said after the game, you never know when those points are going to come up and matter in April. There's where we're wanting to be, battling for a playoff spot. Hopefully, that point helps."
Still, Rasmus Sandin acknowledged that there's room for improvement, and it starts with consistency across the board.
"It shows character and strength in his team to come back from 4-2. At the same (time), there's 60 minutes of hockey and we didn't play 60 minutes of great hockey. There were moments we played pretty well, but too often today, it wasn't good enough," Sandin said.
Washington went 0-3-1 on a critical road trip that could define the season later down the line and was outscored 19-9. Despite the rough go of it, head coach Spencer Carbery agreed that he saw more resilience and grit in the final game against Dlalas.
"That was a huge finish, and we didn't lay down in a difficult game. That's a really good hockey team. They cause a lot of different issues for teams in general but us as well. I credit our guys for not lying down and finding a way," Carbery said. "Six-on-five steps up and scores two goals to get that game into overtime. I would have liked to have found a way to get the second point, but that point could be very important down the road."
Going into the break, D.C. is four points out of a Wild Card spot. With time off, the Capitals hope the time can be used to get some rest, and they know that the real work will begin when the team returns on Feb. 5, with the schedule not getting any easier.
"You got to take a step away. This trip before break, you want to go in with some good momentum, and we didn't accomplish that on this road trip. So it's a good time to decompress," Trevor van Riemsdyk noted. "A lot of us have families, so we'll get some good family time, we'll come back ready to go. It's going to be a couple months of hard work and a lot of tight games; we got to be ready for that."
"We know we have a long way to go. We have a lot of work to do to hang in these games against these types of teams in the league. We know that. We're going to put the work in and get back in after the break," Carbery said.