Sports Talk: Caps Back to Losing Ways

| Print Post This | Like (0) | Comments (0)

IN MID-DECEMBER, THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS were five games above .500 and were fielding questions about a possible playoff run. Now they're looking for a way to explain the club's worst slide since October 2003, the last time they lost seven of eight games.

"It seems now it will take an event of some sort to get moving," coach Glen Hanlon said following Monday's 3-2 loss to Phoenix, which dropped the Caps (16-17-7) to 12th place in the Eastern Conference.

That "event" may be something as simple as getting off to a good start Thursday night against visiting Montreal (23-11-5), whose two-goal first period in last week's 4-1 win at Verizon Center was typical of the Caps' recent slide. They've yielded 14 goals in the past five opening stanzas, including an astonishing six in nine minutes in Buffalo and three to the Coyotes on New Year's Day.

The Caps also have been at less than full strength the past couple of weeks. Defensemen Bryan Muir and John Erskine both have a broken foot, winger Matt Bradley is out with a broken finger and winger Richard Zednik has missed a month with a bad groin. In addition, the team was weakened last week by a stomach virus that spread through the locker room.

"When we were playing our best was likely when Zednik was in the lineup, and that extra forward does help," Hanlon said on Monday. "But everyone has injuries, and we just have to find a way."

The Caps have five games in the next 10 days, which could be bad news for a team in a slump. But captain Chris Clark said there was a bright side to the busy schedule.

"When they come quick like this, you don't have time to dwell on it," he said. "Back-to-back games, we can turn it around really quick, so it could be to our benefit."

The post was written by Express contributor Brian Straus
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images