The Capitals had their looks but ultimately couldn't outplay the Lightning in a 3-0 loss.
Offense had come easy for the Washington Capitals to open the 2024-25 campaign, but that wasn't the case on Saturday against Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Washington had its chances, but ultimately, failed to solve Vasilevskiy and seemed a step behind in a 3-0 loss to the Bolts.
Here are the takeaways from the defeat, which stops the Capitals' winning streak at five games.
Capitals Struggle To Sustain Pressure, Get Chances But Can't Solve Vasilevskiy
Washington struggled over the course of the night to really sustain pressure in the offensive zone, as the Lightning did a good job of shutting things down, winning puck battles and beating D.C. in transition, especially in the first half of the second and third.
Still, the Capitals got their fair share of chances, ultimately outshooting Tampa 31-21, but there was just no solving Vasilevskiy, who was on top of his game as he shut out D.C. for the first time in his career.
Pierre-Luc Dubois had several good chances, hitting the post once and getting two more strong looks in front, but the 26-year-old and his teammates just couldn't convert on those ten-bell looks.
The Lightning were also better defensively, able to backcheck efficiently, lift sticks and stop D.C. from getting a clean entry or chance on net.
It marked the first time this season that Washington got shut out this season and didn't manage at least three goals in a game.
Defensive Mistakes Prove Costly
After an even first period, the Bolts started to turn up the pressure in the second, and ultimately, caught the Capitals scrambling in their own zone to take a 1-0 lead thanks to a tip from Mitchell Chaffee.
Then, to open the third, Nikita Kucherov was able to go on a give-and-go with Bradyen Point, who got behind the defense after a broken play and tucked the puck past a diving Charlie Lindgren.
Conor Geekie would then make it 3-0 with his first NHL goal after a turnover from Hendrix Lapierre trying to break out.
Power Play Remains A Glaring Concern
With Tampa having allowed power-play goals in six straight contests going into Saturday, Washington had hoped it could potentially break through against the Lightning to solve its ongoing power-play woes. However, those struggles continued as the Capitals remained quiet on the man advantage.
Washington couldn't get a shot on its only full power-play opportunity, and just 18 seconds into their second chance of the night, John Carlson took an interference penalty to put an end to the team's time playing at 5-on-4.
The Capitals are now 0-for-17 on the man advantage over the last five games, and their power play is now the second-worst in the league operating at 8.6 percent.
Top Shelf Takes
- Pierre-Luc Dubois and Trevor van Riemsdyk both led D.C. with four shots apiece. Jakob Chychrun had six shot attempts blocked.
- Tom Wilson led with five hits.
- Charlie Lindgren stopped 17 of 20 shots in the loss.
- The penalty kill was the only bright spot in the loss, as Washington went 3-for-3. Its success rate of 83.3 percent is tied with the Winnipeg Jets for the best PK in the league.