We are in a slump.
Teams slump.
Boston lost again last night to a team behind them in the standings. Had we won the last three games at home, we would be right on their heels now for first place in the East. In our last ten games, we are 5-5. In Boston’s last ten games, they are 3-7.
Philly got crushed last night.
Florida lost too, 4-1. We are still up 11 points in the division.
The Penguins are red hot though so expect a tough game on Sunday.
It is a brutal schedule. It is a long season. Teams will slump. Teams will get hot. Teams will jockey for playoff position.
The key for us will be figuring out how to overcome negative psychology and injuries to rise up and start to play well again.
The season is a marathon NOT a sprint.
I am concerned but not panicked.
We played well last night but we didn’t finish.
We are long past giving “Attaboy!” for effort though. We have 16 games left to play. We must right the ship and start to play tight playoff-like hockey to get in the right mindset and qualify for the playoffs. And we have to be playing the right way as well should we be a playoff team.
As I have said before, we have miles to go before we sleep but so do many other teams ahead of us and behind us in the standings.
Tags: Hockey, NHL, Ted Leonsis, Ted's Take, Washington Capitals
it is all good….caps need to get slump out of their system before playoffs….finishing first overall is completely overrated…you do not want to waste your team energy finishing first while then not having enough left for the run at the cup. of course the caps do need to start playing better.
you’re exactly right,it happens,time to end it though.and i can’t think of a better game to turn it around with than against the penguins.
A month from now you and George will be seriously regretting not reading the signs that a collapse is coming and doing more at the deadline. Not mortgaging the future for Pronger but small upgrades like Morris,Guerin or Recchi for picks or marginal prospects was clearly the right thing to do while also sending a message to the players that you’re doing more to win now then just waiting to win when more young players are ready.
“3-7″ for Boston is a bit disingenuous - their actual record is 3-5-2. Those two points could be important, come April. -JW
Re: “And we have to be playing the right way as well should we be a playoff team.”
Just a week ago you wrote that you felt the Caps were playing “quite well at the right time in the right place”… I begged to differ and a couple of people jumped me. Guess I was a week ahead of everyone else, including you. This team been soft for more than a month vs. “lesser teams” and nobody’s done anything about it. In a span of about thirty days the Caps have played (at home): Colorado, LA, Toronto, Atlanta, Carolina, Florida. Their record? 1-5 with 12 goals for and 25 against. This is no slump, Ted. It’s a long ignored pattern.
The coach has evidently done what he can. Calling it a slump and saying the team must play through it continues to ignore the problem that has been around for weeks and weeks.
The team needs on ice leadership. Imagine if Dale Hunter or Rod Langway was wearing the C on a team this talented. Heads would roll if players couldn’t “get up” for every game. That lax attitude has now spread and nobody can miss the issue.
So, “right the ship” already. Appoint a Captain while Clark is out. Why WOULDN’T you?
[...] the game before heading to the bike? The Washington Capitals’ Ted Leonsis is a particularly enlightened and accessible owner … perhaps he’s a guy who could exhibit some leadership here? Come on, [...]
[...] the game before heading to the bike? The Washington Capitals’ Ted Leonsis is a particularly enlightened and accessible owner … perhaps he’s a guy who could exhibit some leadership here? Come on, [...]