Brendan Morrison speaks to Alex Ovechkin's character The Washington Capitals were doing everything they could to try and secure at least a point before leaving British Columbia, but it wasn't enough, as their impressive 12-game point streak and six-game winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks. Pierre-Luc Dubois' late goal sparked a furious rally, but a failure to execute through 60 minutes and a red-hot Kevin Lankinen led to a 2-1 loss. Here are all the takeaways from the defeat. CAPITALS PLAY STRONGER GAME, BUT STRUGGLE WITH EXECUTION; RALLY TOO LATE Despite the result, the Capitals actually played a strong game, maintaining possession and getting several chances on net. The only issue was execution. Washington's passing was just a little bit off, and when it came to solving Kevin Lankinen, the chances just didn't drop early on as the Finn stood tall between the pipes. Pierre-Luc Dubois got the team within one with time winding down in the third, and that's when the team finally started to establish more of a net-front presence. Ultimately, the Capitals would outshoot Vancouver 32-25 and had an impressive rally, but ultimately came up short with Lankinen standing on his head. PIERRE-LUC DUBOIS & ALIAKSEI PROTAS STAY HOT, ESTABLISH NEEDED NETFRONT PRESENCE The Capitals' second line stepped up once again, and with the team in need of a goal with time winding down, got to the net and made things happen. Aliaksei Protas drove to the front of the net and kept battling for the puck before getting it across to Pierre-Luc Dubois, who tapped home the loose puck in the crease. It marked Protas' fourth straight game with a point, and Dubois also has points in three of his last four while he hit the 10-goal mark to boot. The second line was the team's most dangerous unit as time wound down, making strong plays and establishing a crash-the-net mentality. ALEX OVECHKIN STANDS OUT, TOP LINE GETS MAKEOVER WITH TOM WILSON Since coming back from a broken leg, Alex Ovechkin has been looking to get back into the rhythm, and Saturday was a step in the right direction. The captain was a force to be reckoned with, leading the team with seven shots, making smart plays and generating quite a few chances. He looked a lot stronger, and it's a positive sign that he's feeling better. Meanwhile, his top line got a makeover and found some chemistry, as Tom Wilson moved up to work alongside Ovechkin and Dylan Strome while Connor McMichael shifted to skate with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Aliaksei Protas. The three did a solid job of generating pressure in the offensive zone, and though it didn't find twine, it was a good step in the right direction with Strome and Ovechkin struggling together of late. CHARLIE LINDGREN STRONG IN SECOND CONSECUTIVE START, BUT QUINN HUGHES MAKES CAPITALS PAY Making back-to-back starts for the first time this season, Charlie Lindgren was strong once again against Vancouver, but Quinn Hughes made the team pay. Lindgren made 23 saves on 25 shots and came up with some key stops, but Hughes was given the necessary space and time to work with, making D.C. pay as Lindgren also dealt with traffic in front. The 31-year-old also made an impressive diving save late in the game after having been pulled for the extra attack, racing back to the crease and sprawling to catch an empty-net bid.
