Capitals' AHL affiliate Hershey Bears teddy bear toss goal. It hasn't been an easy road for the Washington Capitals of late, as the team has cooled down after a red-hot start to the season. Washington is 5-4-2 in its last 11 games, and since the start of December, has managed just 2.94 goals per game after averaging over four per night at the start of the year. While the power play has been working wonders with goals in seven of the last eight games, the Capitals just haven't looked the same at 5-on-5, managing just 29 goals at even strength (11th-least in the league since Dec. 1). Players like Connor McMichael haven't been able to maintain their high level of scoring from earlier on in the campaign, and there's just not a lot of spark or high-quality chances at even strength. So, what exactly is behind the team's recent struggles? "I think other teams are a little bit more aware of what we bring to the table... I think just every team's familiar with what's been working for us and we gotta find ways to adjust," Dylan Strome, who has also seen his hot streak calm down a bit, said, adding, "Around the Game 40 mark you see 5-on-5 play start to tighten up and it's a little harder to score. But you just got to keep working through it." The Capitals also spent nearly the entirety of December without the greatest goal scorer of all time, as Alex Ovechkin was on the shelf for roughly five weeks as he recovered from a broken leg [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/features/washington-capitals-alex-ovechkin-recovery-broken-leg]. Since he's returned, Ovechkin [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/takes/washington-capitals-alex-ovechkin-historic-run-refuses-spotlight] has put up four goals in six games, but he's playing on a different-looking first line that's been shuffled a couple of times as coach Spencer Carbery looks to spark some chemistry across the board. The only line that's gelled well since then is the second-line combination of Aliaksei Protas, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Tom Wilson; beyond that, the other lines haven't been able to find that connection. It's not all 5-on-5 scoring, though; Washington has made some costly defensive mistakes and undisciplined plays that have led to goals against, and Charlie Lindgren has been struggling of late as D.C. continues to alternate between goaltenders. All the while, the team's been unable to put up a consistent effort through 60 minutes; the third period can be strong, but the first two periods before that go a completely opposite direction. The Capitals have also had to go to the shootout twice, an area where they're less than well-versed considering it marked the team's first two skills competitions of the season. Washington tried two different-looking lineups of shooters, both of which came up short. Looking at the big picture, though, it's not all bad; Washington has been able to escape with a point in games where they shouldn't, and it still sits atop the Eastern Conference and second overall in the league. There's no reason to press the panic button; ebbs and flows and ups and downs are a routine part of every season. That said, there are some steps that the Capitals can take to fix things. The first is another tweak to the lineup, and perhaps considering reverting to the same combinations from before Ovechkin's injury. Another is falling back into familiar habits and putting up a consistent effort through 60 minutes.
