Washington Capitals: Continued Struggles In OT Are a Cause For Concern in D.C.

While most teams would be content with sitting in fifth place, nine points above the final playoff spot, the Washington Capitals do not carry the same expectations most clubs do.  

The Capitals, now two points back of Southeast Division leading Tampa Bay, are failing to capitalize on their opportunities in the clutch and are letting valuable points slip away in the process.  

After three consecutive division championships and a President's Trophy last season, the Capitals entered the season appearing to be poised to steamroll through the regular season. However, the team has struggled for the better part of the first 50 games of the campaign and more importantly, they have failed to score when it counts: in overtime.  

In order to see the last time the Capitals won a game in a shootout or an overtime session, one has to go back to November when Washington beat Carolina in a shootout on the 28th.  

What makes this inability to win games in overtime so troubling is that this is the same team that crippled under the pressure against Montreal in the playoffs last year, appearing to lose confidence as the series went on.  

Looking even farther back, in the Capitals last ten games that remained tied at the end of regulation, the team has lost nine and six of those losses were to teams that failed to make the playoffs last season.  

Bruce Boudreau seems to have the team playing a more defensive style of hockey, which would theoretically be a more effective style of play come playoff time. However, with the team putting more emphasis on defense, goals have been hard to come by.  

Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, Mike Green and Brooks Laich are all on pace for much lower point totals than last year, and the team hasn't been able to score at will as they had in the past. 

The improved play of Backstrom and Ovechkin over the course of the last five games is an encouraging sign, but the aurora of confidence still doesn't seem to be back. While the injuries to both Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth clearly add to the team's problems, the Capitals are simply too talented to be losing this many games.  

While it's not time to panic, as the team would have to completely fall apart in order to miss the playoffs, management has to consider making a move before the trade deadline in order to add a spark to the lineup.  

George McPhee has shown in the past that he's not afraid of making personnel changes at the trade deadline, and if the team's struggles continue, he'll surely look to see what's available on the market.  

As we enter the stretch drive, the next fifteen games will be critical in determining where the Capitals' seed when the playoffs begin, and ultimately their fate when they conclude.  

If they want to be the last team standing, they need to start by delivering in the clutch in the regular season.