On A Road Trip That Could Decide The Season, The Capitals Haven't Been Able To Get A Point. They Know It's On Them To Stop The Bleeding

The Capitals have been outscored 14-5 over the last three games and have dropped three straight on a road trip of the utmost importance.

The Washington Capitals are in the throes of their biggest test of the season, and three games into this four-game road swing, they have nothing to show for it.

Washington has dropped all three games on this critical trip before the All-Star break, which features its most difficult slate of opponents yet and holds a lot of stake in the playoff race. 

"It's frustrating," Tom Wilson told reporters in Colorado. "It's one of those times where everyone's got to come together and dig deep. There's going to be tough points throughout the season where your character has to come through and get you out of it."

Over this stretch, the Capitals have given up at least three goals in each and have been outscored 14-5. Each of their goals has come in the third period, often when the game is out of reach, and the lines can't seem to find any consistent chemistry.

"I don't think we're playing the hockey we need to right now," Anthony Mantha added 24 hours prior to Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Avalanche.

Not only is the offense struggling at 5-on-5 and on the power play, which went 0-for-5 in Denver, but the defense is also struggling to a great extent. Head coach Spencer Carbery is cycling through eight healthy blueliners and is still trying to find a balance, but there are still lapses in coverage, missed assignments and miscues and bad reads that often lead to goaltenders Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren being left to dry.

"No one wants to go into All-Star break losing four in a row," Dylan Strome noted. "We put ourselves in a tough spot."

Washington currently sits five points out of a Wild Card spot as they navigate a difficult second half of the season, and the team has lucked out in the sense that its top opponents are also losing, leaving the race ride open.

Still, the Capitals need to stop the bleeding — and fast. Their final game and last chance to steal some points on the road before the break will come against the Dallas Stars, who rank third in the Central Division.

"We have to understand as a team that we're still right in the fight and every team goes through little stretches," Strome said. "It seems like this is one for us."

When it comes to finding a solution, the Capitals believe the only way out is through and that it comes down to simplifying and sticking with the game plan.

"We have to take positive. (Colorado) was the best start that we have. Keep playing," captain Alex Ovechkin said.

And it all starts with a full 60-minute effort and two points against the Stars.

"The next game is huge, and we got to find a way to get wins back in the column and get feeling good about our game," Wilson noted. "It's going to be really important next game and post-break. We're going to have to show up and dig deep."