At least Ovi scored. (Caps Outsider)
The tale of the 2023-24 Washington Capitals is still being written, but the penultimate series of games down the stretch, the team is setting themselves up for either a fun race to the playoffs, or an elongated thud.
With games against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday and the Buffalo Sabres this past Tuesday, the Caps were in prime position to create some breathing room in the playoff race. Instead, the losses to lower-seeded teams showed that it’s not just teams like the Maple Leafs that will blow them out of the water.
The Caps have been doing this all season, with each set of wins followed by a slump. It hasn’t seemed to matter that they lost Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Anthony Mantha, and Joel Edmundson, as they’ve still won games without them, and even without others like Tom Wilson and T.J. Oshie.
At their best this season, the Capitals are capable of hard-fought victories, while at their worst, they’re hurting for offense. They’ve only scored six goals in the last four games.
Max Pacioretty said after the game that this group of veterans is capable of shaking off these losses, as the Caps turn around and face Carolina tomorrow.
This season isn’t over yet but with these last two losses, it’s starting to feel like it. At least, until that next win streak.
