Who is to blame when a team of great promise does not fulfill those expectations? It's a difficult question to answer. One on hand, you can place the blame on the coaching staff, failing to get the most out of the players. On the other, you have to place responsibility on the players that take the ice of field. Ultimately, you can lay out the most intricate, elaborate game plan know to the human mind, but the players have to perform to succeed.

Thus is the conundrum with the Washington Capitals. Every season under the guidance of coach Bruce Boudreau has ended in heartbreak. It hasn't officially happened yet, but you can see it from here. Only three teams in the sports grand history have come back from being down zero games to three.

And it hasn't been the normal variety of getting outplayed in the playoffs -- some teams are just better than others -- but it's the spectacular fashion of failure in the sport's biggest stage that had magnified and intensified the problem. Blowing a 3-1 lead to Pittsburgh in 2009. First round exit to the eighth seed in 2010. Getting swept thus far by a Southeast Division foe this season. The failure is both spectacular and uncanny.  It's been the biggest consistent in Bruce Boudreau's coaching tenure.

Where do you lay the blame?

I have been, and remain, a Boudreau supporter.  He's the reason the Caps are where they are today. He took a perennially boring, underachieving squad and turned them into the most exciting and interesting team in the NHL. But then, surrendering to criticism, he completely tore down and remodeled his structure and systems. He succumbed to the intense media scrutiny of last year's playoff disaster and a strange extended regular season losing streak, and altered not only the way this team plays, but most definitely changed its personality.

The Caps ran roughshod over the league in March, propelling themselves to the top of the Eastern Conference standings, utilizing the new tenets of defense, goaltending, and opportunistic offense. Boudreau took supremely gifted athletes and gave them a different game plan to follow, and they found success.  But the chinks in the armor were there to witness too, it was just easier to dismiss them when they were winning games.

Even in the first round series win over New York, it was still the Capitals supreme talent that ultimately won out over a lesser-skilled team. But faced with a more-skilled team with superior dedication and discipline, the Capitals are the ones being frustrated.

The mood around Tampa is strange. Lightning fans are shocked they've had this success against what they view as a superior team. But the Capitals talent is being hidden under this new system of defensive responsibility, as it has been all season long.

The players in the room after the game last night could not find answers to the questions they were posed. Maybe they're so close to the problem they can't identify it. Maybe they know but don't dare speak it. But it's evident.

"They're uncanny when they want to get a goal.  They just snap their fingers, hit a button and dial it up. You can see it's like they flipped a switch. I don't know what it is. It leaves you flabbergasted." Mike Knuble uttered those words about the Lightning last night.  They used to say that about the Caps.

The soul of this team has been crushed.  They were once the most exciting team in the league. They had a joyful, energetic, singular talent leading them on the ice and leading the league in offense.  Now, they're stuck in a system that is apparent that very few of them want to play.  They are playing undisciplined, unfocused, and without emotion. It's like asking a thoroughbred to strap on a plow.

They went from a system that was designed to win games to one that is designed to not lose games.  Playoff hockey indeed.

"The worst home loss I've been associated with." Coach Bruce Boudreau.

THE RESULT:  Just as in their last meeting between these two teams, the New York Rangers dominated the Washington Capitals in all facets of the game and handed the home team its worst loss in its own building since November of 2006, a 6-0 shutout that wasn't even as close as the score.

The Caps essentially gave up on this game just moments before the Rangers first tally at 5:45 of the first period.

The Rangers had control of the puck and were cycling effectively against the Mike Green/John Erskine pairing, and a forward line of Brooks Laich, Mathieu Perreault and Boyd Gordon.  The puck came behind the net and Green clearly cross-checked Derek Stepan and the Rangers rookie went into the boards helmet first.

Green dug the puck out to Gordon, but Gordon was unable to clear and the Rangers defensemen fed the puck back into the same corner where Green went to retrieve, rather timidly, I might add.  Stepan, angry from the cross-check and probably frustrated with the no-call, checked Green high and hit Green with a shoulder or elbow.

You can watch the play here.

Green went down in a pile and was very slow to get up.  At that point, with the Caps down a man, the Rangers collected the puck and fed a wide open Steve Eminger at the far point, who sent a blast that ricocheted off Brooks Laich and past Michal Neuvirth for the only goal the Rangers would need.

Green left the game and did not return. The team has listed him as "day-to-day" at this point pending further evaluation and he will not accompany the team to Long island for the game with the Islanders Saturday. Green was making his return after missing the road trip battling "inner ear trauma" stemming from taking a puck to the side of the head against Pittsburgh two weeks ago.

He managed to last just 5:45 into the first period.

If you watched the video, pause it at the 23 second mark, right after the goal and look at the reaction the five Caps players in the frame had. It's all you need to know about how the rest of the game went.

The Capitals were already defeated.  I won't bore you with descriptions of the rest of New York's goals.

"Our fans deserve better," a subdued coach Bruce Boudreau said in his press conference.  "We deserve to get booed. It’s not fun when you come home and you’ve got the best fans in the world and you play like that."

"It’s just not acceptable and it’s embarrassing."

But it's all too common-place now for this team.

It's almost impossible to fathom, but the Caps have lost their last three games at Verizon Center by a combined score of 12-1.  Boudreau's right about it being embarrassing.

And with just 20 games left in the regular season, can anything be done about it?

The team pulled six points from a long five-game road trip, came home to two days off, and then went out and laid a stinker like that last night at home?  There are no excuses for the level of effort and energy exhibited by the vast majority of players wearing a red sweater last night.

With the trade deadline approaching on Monday, it's impossible to guess what GM George McPhee might do.  But you can be sure that he was not pleased with the performance of the players that are currently on the roster.

He'd be just one of many at this point.

NEXT GAME:  Saturday against the New York Islanders from Nassau County Coloseum at 7:00 pm.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3. John Erskine.  Five hits and only on the ice for the goal where Green got hurt.

2. Scott Hannan.  He's an anchor for the Caps on the blue line.  Second most minutes and was on the ice for just one of the four even strength goals for New York.

1. Alex Ovechkin.  Eight shots on goal, another nine blocked or missed.  Six hits.  Was really involved in this game.

CAPS NOTES:  John Carlson and Karl Alzner did not distinguish themselves last night.  Carlson was minus-3 and Alzner minus-2.

Speaking of bad games, Boyd Gordon was on the ice for the first four Rangers goals.

Alexander Semin somehow was credited with four hits.

Nick Backstrom, healing from a fracture in his thumb, took just one faceoff all night. The Caps finished at 51 percent for the evening.

The power play went 0-for-5 and penalty kill was just 2-for-4.

"For whatever reason, we stopped working.  We got comfortable -- a little too comfortable." -- Karl Alzner

Just over one minute into the game, Alex Ovechkin gave the Washington Capitals a 1-0 lead as he used All-Star defenseman Drew Doughty as a screen at the top of the face-off circle and beat Los Angeles Kings' backup goalie Jonathan Bernier for his 21st goal of the season.

That was the peak of the Caps effort today.  One minute, six seconds.  Oh, and the goal was unassisted.

They spent the rest of the game fumbling passes, turning the puck over, watching each other to see if anyone was going to fight for the puck and squandering power play opportunities, eventually falling to a team in the middle of a ten-game road trip, 4-1, before a very disgruntled sold out crowd at Verizon Center.

If the boos and ugly comments raining down from the 400 sections in front of the press box were any indication of the mood of the typical Caps fan after this lackluster performance, the Caps must be looking forward to heading out on a five-game roadie of their own.

The first two periods were just a continuation of the general malaise that has followed this team around much of the season.  There were sparks of effort, but nothing sustained.  All the jokes about a sluggish 12:30 pm start rang true.

In the third period, however, the Capitals just stopped playing hockey.  Most of the players on the ice looked like they'd have rather been anywhere than where they were.  And the results -- three third period goals for the Kings -- were expected and justified.

As usual after a tough loss, veteran forward Mike Knuble held court for the media in the locker room after the game.

"I don't know what we're waiting for.  There's a lot to play for -- as players, as individuals, as a team.  Every game is important.  Those are huge points we left on the table the last two games."

"[The Kings] were capitalizing on loose pucks and we aren't.  We're coming to a key point in the season.  I'm sure we're all aware of that.  It's time to start throwing the switch toward the playoffs.  It's like we're waiting for something to happen.  We're waiting for something."

Coach Bruce Boudreau seemed surprised that his team was waiting for a switch to be thrown.  "If they're waiting for some switch to magically appear, it's not going to happen." 

"We got outworked in the first, outworked in the second.  All we had to do is outwork them in the third to start a tough road trip, and they looked like they already were thinking about what's going on in the sun."

If Boudreau was looking for this game to build momentum for the five-game west coast road trip, what he got was the complete opposite.  "It's really diappointing.  Hopefully this is as low as we get.  This was something we were counting on -- as a coaching staff at least -- to come in, win this game as a springboard for a tough road trip."

Boudreau talked about the faltering power play, which went 0-for-5 today.  "We've practiced it more in the past month than we did all last year.  It's the same guys.  The number one thing we have to do is win battles.  Every loose puck, [the Kings] got.  Every time there was a one-on-one situation, [the Kings] got it."

Boudreau's right.  His team did not put out the requisite effort needed to compete in the National Hockey League.  It's a script that is all too familiar at this point in the season.

Do changes need to be made?  Has this team tuned out their coach?  Would a change at that level make any difference at this point in the season?

Or, are some of the players on this team even capable of being motivated by anything other than what drives them personally?

What about a change to the roster?  Boudreau said he "tried" to send a message at the end of the game by benching a couple players, and managing minutes that way could be a method to inspire effort.  But he also said that he needs his best players to be his best players and he needs them on the ice.

This team seems to "get up" for marquee games.  Pittsburgh.  New Year's Day.  National television.  When they play motivated, they are one of the most talented teams in the league.

But games like today show that all the talent in the world can't succeed unless you put out the effort.

It's not too late for the Washington Capitals to find that effort and make a push as they head down the homestretch.  It's hard to imagine this team not qualifying for the playoffs at this point. 

But what's the point if they can't find the effort within themselves needed to succeed?

"If you play for one run, that's all you'll get." 

Long-time Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver said that in his book, Weaver on Strategy.  He's of course referring to baseball, but I think that little gem applies to what the Washington Capitals are going through right now, and last night's 2-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks in particular.

The Caps, still mired in an epic scoring drought from their best players, have changed their style of play from a wide-open attack to a more defense-oriented system.  They are playing very well defensively, giving up just 1.7 goals per game since the middle of December, and are fifth in the league overall in goals against per game at 2.38.

Yet here they sit, in the middle of the pack of teams trying to qualify for the playoffs.  Currently, the Caps are in fifth, just seven points out of first place.  But they're also just nine points from eighth.  They are treading water during the time of the season where you want to start ramping up your game toward the playoffs.

We saw an all-too-familiar script again last night.  The Caps came out buzzing against the Sharks, dominating the offensive zone in the first period, but not getting enough quality chances on goal.  And those that did make it through were being gobbled up by yet another average goalie, this time Antti Niemi.  When the period ended in a scoreless tie, you could almost see where this one was going.

On cue, the Caps stopped doing the things they were having success with early in the game and satisfied themselves the rest of the game with mid-to-long range shots that were either off the mark or knocked down by defenders.  Washington ended with 25 shots on goal (eight in the last 2:30), but had another 25 shots blocked and nine go astray.

Sounds like a few games last April, eh?

There's no margin for error playing a defensive style of hockey.  If you make one mistake, you're toast.  And that's exactly what happened at 11:55 of the third, when Michal Neuvirth let a soft wrist shot from Logan Couture get through him. 

Look, it's hard to pin this game on Neuvy.  He was excellent the first 51 minutes of the game.  Both he and his coach knew though that's a stop he's got to make in a tight game.  "They got a little bit lucky on that first goal," Neuvirth said.  "It kind of surprised me. Goals happen. I got to be square next time.”

Coach Bruce Boudreau was more pointed in his critique. 

"In the end, he played good for 51 minutes. But if you want to be a great goalie in this league, when the game is on the line, you have to be the one to stop those. I thought those goals were not of the variety that should have beaten him, but at the same time, I thought he kept us in for the first period.”

But that's what happens when you play with such a small margin of error.  One mistake can cost you the game.  And that's what happened last night.

Last year, if the Caps got down a goal or two, it was no big deal.  That's the luxury of averaging almost four goals per game and having the league's top rated power play.  My, what difference a year makes.

What kills me about all this is that the Capitals are allowing the media to dictate their style of play.  They've bought in to the idea that "playoff hockey" is built around 2-1 games and that this team would never succeed in the playoffs playing the all-out attack of the last two seasons.

But a tiger can't change it's stripes.

The new system the Caps are employing certainly plays well for some of the personnel on the squad.  Karl Alzner, Scott Hannan, Jeff Schultz, John Erskine; they're all flourishing in a slower, muck up the middle, defensive game.  If the forwards bear more burden with defensive responsibility, it leads to fewer odd-man rushes and less stress on the defenders.

But it's neutering this team's biggest strengths.  Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom, Alexander Semin, Mike Green, Brooks Laich.  All on pace for drastically lower totals in goals and points than career norms.

The Capitals have been shut out eight times this season.  EIGHT!  It's hard to even fathom it.

The Caps are 17th in the league in goals per game with just 2.69.  The power play is 18th in the league.  Dreadful.

This change in philosophy for the Capitals is preparing them to play a bunch of 2-1 games come springtime alright.  Just hard to figure right now which end they'll be on.

"We've got to figure out ways to get to that net and find some dirty, ugly goals." --Matt Hendricks, who was the only Capital player to take that advice to heart.

Caps console goalie Braden Holtby after 2-1shootout loss. (C.Nichols/CapsNewsNetwork)

THE RESULT:  The Washington Capitals allowed a depleted, offensive-starved New York Rangers team to come into their building with their back-up goalie and steal two points, as Washington lost their seventh straight extra-time game, 2-1 in a shootout that never should have happened.

Washington has taken a point in five straight games, going 3-0-2, but this one should have been in the win column.  The Caps tried to sit on a lead and failed to seize any of the opportunities provided to them and allowed a beaten team to score a fluky goal and send the game to overtime.

Very simply, the Caps played not to lose in the third period.  They sat back on defense and watched the Rangers get off ten shots to their measly six, most in the frantic last two minutes of regulation, after New York tied the game at one at 13:19.

It was an ugly goal, one that Marian Gaborik, the credited goal scorer, didn't even see.  Brian Boyle lofted a floater to the low slot from the point, and the puck hit Gaborik in the arm, and in the motion of turning the puck deflected off Gaborik, and perhaps Caps defenseman Karl Alzner's stick, and past a confused Braden Holtby.

The goal went to review, but with the call on the ice of "goal", it was very difficult to overrule.  Gaborik certainly did nothing on purpose to direct the puck toward the net, and it appears it never hit his stick, which was above his waist.  Gaborik didn't know what happened, as he was the last man on the ice to realize that a goal had been scored.

“It was a lucky bounce,” Matt Hendricks said. “A fluke goal on their part.  But they had been getting pretty close. They had a lot of shots. They were outplaying us in the attack zone.”

It's fitting that the deciding goal in this game would be scored in such a fashion, because it's the type of goal the Caps just aren't getting right now.

"You've heard the old cliche 'defense is your best offense' and it is," Hendricks continued.  "If you're playing well in the defensive zone you're going to force them to make mistakes, force them to turn pucks over and then you've got to use it to your benefit.  You've got to be ready to go and take the opportunities."

But the Caps squandered most of the opportunities they were presented last night. 

They managed just 17 shots on goal in regulation.  Read that again.  Just 17 shots on goal in regulation.  Alex Ovechkin had six and Hendricks had four.  That means that 16 other skaters combined for seven shots in regulation.

Brooks Laich had one shot on goal.  Mike Green had one. Mike Knuble had one.  Mathieu Perreault had zero.  The fourth line had zero combined.

That's squandering any opportunity you've been presented.

Coach Bruce Boudreau certainly noticed.  "We’ve been passing up shots to create plays. I thought there were four or five times when the defenseman or forward had it, we’d fake a shot, we had a good direct line and we’d pass it up. You score your goals by shooting the puck and going to the net.”

The Caps seemed to take some momentum from a second period goal by Hendricks, his second in as many games.  Marcus Johansson found Hendricks cutting to the far post and hit him perfectly in stride from the opposite point.  All Hendricks had to do was get his stick on it to tip it past Rangers goalie Martin Biron (23 saves).

But in the third period, the Caps came out and tried to suffocate the Rangers, content to sit on the lead and play not to lose, instead of seizing the opportunity to pounce on a wounded opponent. 

Ovechkin described the third period philosophy.  "We just get the lead and we try to make safe game and avoid mistakes. But they score a goal on a lucky bounce, it hits the glove and goes in the net. So, we can do nothing."

It says a lot about the state of the Capitals right now that the most exciting offensive player in hockey is talking about playing a "safe game" instead of going for victory.

Instead of celebrating a hard-earned victory at home, the Caps leave Verizon Center for a quick trip to Atlanta with the bitter taste of shootout defeat in their mouths. After seemingly taking a step forward on the recently concluded road trip, settling for a point in a shootout loss to a backup goalie sends them back to square one.



THE GOOD:  Marcus Johansson's pass to Matt Hendricks, cutting to the far post, was a thing of absolute beauty.  It's plays like that where you can see the young pivot is going to be making a living in this game for a long time.

It's also the type of play we used to see a lot from another Swedish center.

THE BAD: Boudreau is grasping at so many straws on the power play right now, he gave the Gordon-Steckel-King line 28 seconds of power play time.  Under no circumstances is that the right thing to do.

The Capitals went 0-for-2 on the power play, registering just a single shot on goal in four minutes.

THE UGLY: On three separate occasions last night, players that had the puck with speed entering the offensive zone deferred to Ovechkin at the blue line, leading to turnovers.  Twice Nick Backstrom, who was otherwise invisible against the Rangers, crossed the blue line with speed, only to dump it to the double-covered Ovechkin.  Chimera was guilty of it too.

If you have speed at the blue line, carry the puck to the circles and look for Ovi in the slot, or dump and chase.  STOP GOING BACKWARDS IN THE OFFENSIVE ZONE!

Rant over.

THE STATS:  Matt Hendricks (7) from Marcus Johansson (6) and Scott Hannan (7) at 1:27 of 2nd.  Holtby: L, 28 saves on 29 shots (.966).

NEXT GAME: Wednesday at Atlanta Thrashers at 7:00 pm. Last game before All-Star break.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3. Braden Holtby.  Again, just one goal in regulation.  And the player that "scored" it didn't even realize it.  The quirky kid netminder has given up three goals in three games.
2. Alex Ovechkin.  Really, he was the best player on the ice tonight, he just didn't produce any points.  Six shots, another five blocked or missed.  Speed game is coming back.  He was asked post-game if he felt more confident in himself and he replied "The Old Ovi"?  Yes, please.

1. Matt Hendricks.  Goal in regulation.  Get this -- going to the net!  Goal in the shootout.  Four shots, three hits, plus-1.  What's not to love?

Holtby victimized in the shootout. (C.Nichols/CapsNewsNetwork)

THE RESULT:  It would be easy to say that one of the best teams in the National Hockey League came into D.C. on a roll and took advantage of a Washington Capitals team that is struggling to score goals, both five-on-five and on the power play.

While that statement is true and accurate, the Caps 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, who Thursday night had a 17-game point streak snapped, was also just another example of the disappointment felt around "America's Hockey Capital", as the hopes of a once-promising season are now getting mired in an almost-desperation to find out "What's wrong with the Capitals?"

Until four days ago, the Caps seemed to have found life once again.  They had a nine-game point streak of their own -- going 6-0-3 during the stretch -- following the seemingly interminable eight-game losing stretch dating back to early December. They defeated arch-rival Pittsburgh in the highly publicized and even more highly dramatized Winter Classic New Year's Day (night).

They even tied for the top spot in their division, a place that no Caps fans thought they would ever have to worry about again in this era.

But the last four days, with an overtime loss to Florida, a butt-spanking shut out loss to division-leading Tampa the next night, and an agonizing 4-2 loss to the league's top team last night, all the "feel good" from that nine game stretch was thrown out the window.

All of the problems of the December swoon have come back to haunt this Washington Capitals team this past week (0-2-1) and in last night's loss.  An aimless and seemingly clueless power play (0-for-3).  Defensive indifference and ineptitude.  Lack of commitment to playing a 60-minute game.  An utter lack of urgency until trailing late in games.

And what's worst: a complete dearth of offensive production from this team's best players.

Don't let last night's furious third period almost-rally confuse you.  It came against a team playing the second of back-to-back road games three time zones from home.

The bottom line last night: two of the three goals allowed came as a direct result of Mike Green getting caught out of position, trying to press the play when he should have been manning his defensive zone.  When a team is struggling to score, they can't afford to have a skilled playmaker trying to join a rush up ice before the neutral zone is cleared.

The last couple of seasons, this team has always been able to rely on their firepower to bail them out of tough situations.  Even last season, during their President's Trophy run, they'd have nights where they didn't play very well, but a handful of overwhelmingly skillful possessions would end up in the back of the net and the team and fans would head home happy.

This year?  Not so much.

Through the first 26 games this season (18-6-2), the Capitals averaged over 3.30 goals per game.  Not quite their pace last season, but still good enough to have them at the top of the conference and top of the goals per game chart. 

Since?  38 goals in 19 games.  An average of exactly two goals per game.  It's remarkable that the team has managed a 6-8-5 record in those 19 games. 

What on Earth has happened to the Caps scoring?  Slumps are one thing.  But systematic shut-downs are a completely different animal.

It certainly doesn't help that Alexander Semin, who led the Caps in goals and was on pace for a career year early has missed the last three games due to injury.  But he stopped scoring goals much before he got hurt. 

Alex Ovechkin has five goals in his last 19 games.  Nicklas Backstrom has zero goals in the same time frame.  Semin hasn't scored in the Caps last 20 games.  Brooks Laich?  One goal in 19 games.  Mike Green's numbers look healthy next to these, but three goals and five helpers in 19 games is far below his career norms.

What was that game 19 games ago that broke the Washington Capitals?  The heartbreaking 2-1 loss at Dallas on Dec. 2, where a game-tying goal by John Carlson was waived off by referee Dan O'Rourke with 7.6 seconds remaining in the game, when Ovechkin was knocked into the paint by defenseman Karlis Skrastins and O'Rourke ruled Ovechkin interfered with the goalie's ability to play the puck, when it was the Dallas defenseman that actually contacted the Stars goalie, Andrew Raycroft.

It was a bad call then.  It apparently haunts the Capitals to this day.

What was another circumstance associated with that game?  It was the first game after the trade that sent Tomas Fleischmann to Colorado in exchange for defenseman Scott Hannan.  It would be remiss to blame Hannan for the Caps scoring drought, but it sure seems like the Caps could use a second-line forward known for having a scoring touch.

What's Flash done since the trade?  How about a point per game (7-12-19, minus-1).

I was all in favor of this trade when it was made.  It seemed like two teams dealing from a position of strength to address a weakness.  Maybe I was wrong.

What's wrong with the Caps?  Nothing a few more goals from their best players wouldn't solve.

But it wouldn't hurt to find a way to break the curse of the Dallas Stars and exorcise the ghost of Tomas Fleischmann.

THE GOOD:  I still think a season of the "A" would have been good for him, but Marcus Johansson has had his moments this season and his one-timer for the Caps second goal was one of those moments.  But it came courtesy of Nicklas Backstrom's best set-up in quite some time.  He drew the D and knew where MJ90 would be almost instinctively. 

Backstrom also had five shots on goal, including a play where Eric Fehr hit him in stride in the first period going hard to the net.  The shot wasn't great, banging into Luongo's pads, but the idea and execution by both players was excellent. 

THE BAD:  Jeff Schultz.  His play has been spotty at best since returning from his broken thumb, and last night was no exception.  He was minus-2 again, out of position on the third Vancouver goal, and he just looks, well, slow.  Maybe it's rust, but he's costing the Caps right now on the back end.

Oh, and did Mathieu Perreault even play in this game?

THE UGLY: Mike Green.  That was the worst game from a supposed All-Star we've seen in quite some time. 

I've largely held off on the Green bashing this season, because he's never really been fully healthy due to a litany of pain and injury, but those shouldn't keep someone out of position, make poor passes, and generally show no urgency on the ice until there's a two goal deficit with time winding down.

THE STATS: Matt Hendricks (5) from Boyd Gordon (4) and John Carlson (14) at 5:50 of 1st. Marcus Johansson (6) from Nick Backstrom (29) and Brooks Laich (18) at 9:21 of 3rd.

NEXT GAME: Sunday at 3:00 pm v. Ottawa Senators at Verizon Center.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3. Marcus Johansson.  Nice one-timer to get the Caps within one. Only took three draws, but won two.

2. Nicklas Backstrom. Quality assist on Johansson's goal. Five shots on goal. 79% in the dot.

1. Matt Hendricks.  He was flying all over the ice tonight.  He buried his opportunity.

GAME NOTES

Eric Fehr left the game in the third after colliding with teammate David Steckel at center ice on a change.  Boudreau called Fehr an "upper body injury", and would definitely not play Sunday.

Semyon Varlamov saved 31 of 34 shots on goal.

"You can't play ten minutes in this league and hope to win a game." Coach Bruce Boudreau, on his team's performance in a 2-1 loss to the Wild.

THE RESULT:  One team looked rested, in the middle of a five-game homestand.  They had a game plan; forcing shots to the outside, clogging up the neutral zone, and relying on a steady if unspectacular goalie.

The other team looked like they played the previous night on the road, in a different time zone.  They looked like they took a two and a half hour plane ride and got to bed around 3:00 am.  And they looked like they knew that 24 hours later they would be in a third time zone in a different country.

Looking back at the Washington Capitals 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild, the Caps should consider themselves the beating wasn't worse.  The loss drops the Caps' record at the Xcel Energy Center to 0-5-1 all-time.

The things that have plagued the Caps all season long continued to trouble them in this one as well.  Poor and sloppy passing through the neutral zone.  Forwards skating in one-on-three.  No one willing to do the hard work in the crease.  And players losing individual defensive battles along the boards.

And the team's best player -- it's captain -- once again had a mostly frustrating evening, getting four shots on goal, but also getting four blocked, as defensemen continue to press him hard as he enters the offensive zone as he carries the puck instead of laying back, not allowing themselves to become a screen. 

And when the Great Eight does manage to get a shot through the D-man, it's still far enough out for the goalie to find it.

Not until 18:24 of the third, as the panicked Capitals played 6-on-5, was Alex Ovechkin able to get space and sneak a puck into the opposition net, cutting the deficit to 2-1.  Unfortunately, he and his teammates could not find the equalizer, having started their energized play much, much too late.

Ovechkin was very blunt in his assessment of the game.  "We didn't shoot the puck. We didn't hit their guys. We didn't finish our shots," he said.

No truer words have been spoken.

The most recent goalie to look like Patrick Roy against the Caps was Niklas Backstrom of Finland.  He played well shutting out the Caps until a minute and a half left in the game, but was not tested often, facing just 22 shots.  His mates blocked an additional 15 shots, and the Caps misfired on 18, including Alexander Semin's clear breakaway early in the third period.

Backstrom's best was a lunging, back-door glove save on his name-twin, Nicklas Backstrom of Sweden, with just 5.8 second remaining.

Continuing the theme of the season, the hard-luck loser tonight was Michal Neuvirth, who once again was stellar -- if not tested very hard either -- stopping 15 of the 17 shots thrown his way.

These Capitals are struggling to put two good period together right now, let alone two straight games.  As well as they played Wednesday night in Carolina, finally putting together 60 minutes of hockey, it has to be especially deflating to Coach Bruce Boudreau and his staff to see that effort mimicked by their slow, lumbering performance against Minnesota.

Boudreau was especially expressive after the game with the media.

"It was a really disappointing effort, I thought, from our team for about about 50 minutes," Boudreau said.  "You can't play ten minutes in this league and hope to win a game."

Asked about the team's struggles, particularly in the first periods, Boudreau said, "I haven't changed too much of the way my philosophy as far as getting them ready for the game.   I don't know.  I don't know what it is."

"It looked like we were in quicksand.  We weren't moving the puck, we couldn't handle the puck... I'm not buying any of this excuse about being fatigued -- emotionally or physically."

"I'm not very happy with what happened."

No one is.

"We know what makes this team successful, and it isn't going diagonal passes through the neutral zone.  We got a big, strong team, big forwards, and our success has been winning the battles below the circles.  That's what we did last night so successfully and tonight we decided we wanted to be fancy."

"You can't be fancy in this league."

The coach seems to have a handle on the general problems plaguing his team.  Let's see if he can figure out how to fix them.

THE GOOD:  Neuvirth.  He's the only thing this team can depend on right now.

THE BAD:  Alexander Semin.  One shot on goal.  Three blocked.  Four misses.  The Enigma strikes again.

THE UGLY:  The Power Play.  0-for-2.  Rinse and repeat.  And one night after having a dominant faceoff record, in this one they won just 48 percent of the draws.  Five more minor penalties, including a terrible giveaway-interference by Tyler Sloan in the first.  Please get well soon, Tom Poti.

THE STATS:  Alex Ovechkin (5) from Mike Green (2) at 18:24 of 3rd.

NEXT GAME:  Saturday night at Calgary Flames at 10:00 pm eastern.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3.  Mike Knuble.  He was instrumental in the penalty kill and had five shots on goal, though most came from the top of the circle entering the zone -- but that's exactly how the Caps got a goal against Carolina, when Backstrom followed up a big shot by driving to the net.

2.  Jason Chimera.  He had a goal waived off after the referee rule he pushed Backstrom into the net.  He also rang two posts and brought what little speed was on display for the Caps.

1.  Michal Neuvirth.  Maybe we need to retire the three stars until they start playing better.

"We had lots of chances to score.  We just didn't."  Coach Bruce Boudreau in his post-game remarks.

THE RESULT:  The Washington Capitals offense has been struggling all season long, and those problems continued Thursday night, as Tim Thomas and the Boston Bruins dominated the Caps for the second time in three nights, winning 4-1 before a capacity crowd of 17,565 at TD Banknorth Garden for their home opener.

Boston has been on the road the better part of a month, playing exhibition games in Belfast before opening the regular season in Prague, then road games back in the states in New Jersey and Washington D.C..  But it was the team wearing Red that looked like they were the tired ones.

As has been the case all season, the Caps got down early, only this time Boston kept the pedal down and buried the Caps, manhandling them physically all evening.  Only a mistake playing the puck by Thomas early in the third period kept this from being an embarrassing shut out for the Boston netminder.

Thomas was excellent once again.  He's only allowed three goals in four games this year with a 0.75 GAA and .978 save percentage.  He made several excellent saves early, but all too often the Washington shooters either hit Thomas in the pads, or couldn't get any lift on the puck as Thomas made a succession of kick saves late in the first, robbing Brooks Laich and Mike Knuble in close with toe saves.

The Capitals penalty kill, which had not given up a goal all season, was not up to its new-found status, as they allowed three power play goals in four attempts, including a bomb from Zdeno Chara with 16 seconds remaining in the game.

The Caps showed life in both the first and third periods, buzzing the net and getting scoring opportunities.  Maybe they weren't getting the best opportunities, but the first period might have been the most effective they've had since the third period against the Devils.  But the Bruins scratched out a PP goal at 19:32, and all the good effort went for naught.

Coach Bruce Boudreau thought the late first period goal was the key to the whole game.  "I thought we outplayed them in the first period pretty good, coming in 0-0 in their home opener would have been so much better than the way it was."

But the wheels came completely off in the second period.

Jordan Caron put a snap shot past Semyon Varlamov at 2:22, taking advantage of poor communication and even worse positioning on defense, and the floodgates opened from there.

They just couldn't get out of their own end.  After another dismal power play, Alex Ovechkin was caught on the ice at the point for what seemed like an eternity.  Twice, in order just to get a breath, the Caps iced the puck, but that meant Ovechkin had to stay on the ice. 

Eventually, Alex Semin was whistled for hooking, stopping play and allowing Ovi off the ice.  Naturally, Boston made good on the advantage, with Nathan Horton scoring his fourth goal of the season 15 second before the infraction was to expire.

"We got caught out there too long with Nicky's line," Boudreau said.  "They got one change in while the puck was in our zone -- which was a great change by them -- and we were too tired to move and they made it 2-0 then they scored on the power play to make it 3-0.  It's pretty tough to come back against this team when the goalie is playing like that with a 3-0 lead."

We've been through this now the last couple of games.  This team is in a deep, deep funk offensively, and were it not for the seven-goal outburst against New Jersey the stats would look even worse.  Boudreau is trying to put a finger on it, and if it's getting a lucky result somewhere that flips the switch, it sounds like he'd take that at this point. 

"There are guys not producing that should be producing and we want them to produce.  Is it because they're not playing well, or is it because they're snakebit?  I think they can all play better.  It's a combination of both, I think."

Regardless the reason, if things don't change soon, Boudreau will be forced to make some changes.  And thistime, it might not just be shuffling lines.

THE GOOD:  There wasn't much.  Marcus Johansson played well centering the second line, and the Caps got a lot of shots on goal.  I'm reaching though.

THE BAD:  Power play went 0-for-4, shut out the entire eight minutes. 

This team really misses Mike Green, especially on the point of the power play.

THE UGLY:  For the second straight game, the Caps were physically dominated by the Bruins.  Granted, they are one of the stronger, more physical teams in the league.  But the game really looked like a replay of Game 5, 6, or 7 from last year's first round playoff exit.  Lots of shot from the perimeter, Ovi flipping wristers from the top of the circle, ususally into the shin pads of his defender, and the Caps getting beaten for pucks along the boards.

This team really misses Matt Bradley and Boyd Gordon doing some of that missing dirty work.

THE STATS:  Jason Chimera (2), unassisted at 9:27 of 3rd.  Semyon Varlamov 30-of-34.

NEXT GAME:  Saturday at 7:00 pm v. Atlanta Thrashers at Verizon Center.

CAPS NEWS NETWORK THREE STARS

3.  Mike Knuble.  The oldest guy on the team was the only one showing anything along the boards.  Had five SOG and broke up a 2-on-1.

2.  John Erskine.  Rugged defender blocked three shots, has two hits, and knocked down two passes that could have ended up in the goal and was +1 for the evening.

1.  Marcus Johansson.  The young centerman was the Caps most effective player, and was acknowledged as such by Boudreau after the game.  "Marcus was probably our best forward."