Capitals defenseman John Carlson. (James Guillory — Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/d138007e-8c9c-4b56-a698-a0daaba36645.jpeg] Capitals defenseman John Carlson. (James Guillory — Imagn Images) Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson holds himself to a high standard. It's what's made the 35-year-old so successful and one of the NHL's most touted offensive defensemen over the years. But so far against the Carolina Hurricanes, it's been a rough go of it — and he isn't shying away from that fact, either. After a disappointing Game 3 loss that saw him on the ice for all four goals against while making some poor reads, Carlson reflected on his play and said that he needs to improve going forward. "I'm well aware of me and my game and what I'm capable of," Carlson said. "I can be better, and just as the team will do, I'm looking forward to another chance tomorrow night." Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, Carlson has averaged the 11th-most minutes of any player in the NHL, skating 25:36 minutes a night. In these playoffs, he's logging just over 24 minutes a game, and is a plus-6 through eight games so far. "I play as much as the coaches think that I should play, and obviously, there's a reason for that," Carlson said of his ice time. That said, Game 3 was disappointing for Carlson, and this series hasn't been easy for the No. 1 defender. He has a goal and even plus/minus through these first three games, but Carolina has been bogging down Washington, making it difficult to get much going in the ways of offense or good possession. Going into a pivotal Game 4 where the Hurricanes could push the Capitals to the brink of elimination, Carlson said he and the team aren't in panic mode and know what needs to change to even things back up. That formula for success? Being the better team, plain and simple. "Some of the big things (are) moving the puck quick, trying to keep it off the yellow, they're a real attacking team all over the ice, pressure all over the ice and when that happens, they look good. When we move the puck quick and clean all of the sudden you got Tom Wilson in front of the net with no one around him," Carlson said. "So, it's not foolproof, (but) when we're clean, we're executing at a high level, there's a lot out there for us. When they're in our face and we're slow with it or you know, passes aren't crisp enough they look like they're all over us. That's just Hockey 101." It's easier said than done, though Carlson is ready to do what he can to not only get his team back to the level it was playing at when it dominated the East in the regular season, but to also silence the critics. "I know there's been a lot of noise," Carlson said, adding, "I'm not worried about it."
