Capital Gains: Washington Busts Out of Slump, Gaining Confidence Along the Way

As the Capitals' winless skid hit eight games, panic had set in throughout the District of Columbia.

There was talk of head coach Bruce Boudreau being fired, speculation that Alex Ovechkin had temporarily lost his mojo and a general sense of disbelief regarding the team's prolonged struggles.  

After emerging out of the slump with back-to-back wins, the Capitals played a gutsy game against rival Pittsburgh, losing a close one in a shootout.

While they didn't come out of the game with the two points they coveted (and needed after dropping eight in a row), they showed they would not be intimidated by a Penguins team that is firing on all cylinders.  

The team's frustration during the slump was obvious, as the players seemed to get away from playing their style of hockey. Ovechkin misfired on shots, going another nine games scoreless. Mike Green, plagued by injuries this year, has limped through easily his worst offensive season since his rookie campaign.  

Both Ovechkin and Green used the game against Pittsburgh to reverse their fortunes, beginning with Ovechkin's thundering check on fellow Russian Olympian Evgeni Malkin. He fired five shots, scored the team's only goal in the shootout and played increasingly well as the game went on.  

The relief on Green's face after scoring against Pittsburgh was obvious, as he celebrated by looking to the sky and exhaling deeply. Similarly, during Washington's 3-2 victory over Carolina on Sunday night, a weight was seemingly lifted off Ovechkin's shoulders when he beat Cam Ward for the eventual game-winning goal.  

The pressure on this team has been paramount since its first-round loss to Montreal last spring, and the Capitals seem to have been feeling the heat, especially during the winless drought that has been documented on the HBO series 24/7.  

In the latest episode in the four-part miniseries, the scene in the Capitals locker room during their eighth straight loss, this time against the Bruins, showed the resilience of the team's veterans such as Mike Knuble.

Sick of the losing and lackluster efforts, Knuble stood up and basically asked the rest of his team when they were going to turn things around, and while the Caps ended up losing 3-2, it was a symbolic turning of the tides for the team.  

The Capitals finally looked like the ultra-talented team that they are on paper against Carolina on Sunday, and they look to be gaining confidence with every game. While nothing they do now has much bearing on whether they win the silver chalice in May or June, for a young team, confidence is everything.  

While the slump was a miserable eight-game span for the Capitals, it's better it happens now than when the games matter more.