It hasn't been a very giving holiday season for the Washington Capitals, and last nights game against the New Jersey Devils was indicative of the kind of luck the Caps have been having lately.
After firing 42 shots on New Jersey's backup, Keith Kinkaid, through four periods, the Caps dropped their 4th game in their last 5 outings.
The Capitals are now 1-4 in shootouts this year.
Not taking anything away from Kinkaid's game - he played out of his mind and made some very difficult stops - but the Capitals just could not hit the net, a problem that has been resonating all season.
They were also extremely sloppy in their own end. Evgeny Kuznetsov's "careless" turnover lead to P.A. Parenteau's goal that put the Devils up 1-0.
The Capitals spent the rest of the game clamoring for clear lanes to shoot until finally Daniel Winnik finally tied the game. However, penalties kept Washington from gaining any momentum, a problem they had against the Islanders.
The Capitals need much more from their star players if they hope to gain any ground in the tough Metro division. The Caps are now 3-3-1 against Metro teams and sit 4th in the division with a 20-9-5 record through 34 games.
"I expect a lot from this group, and everybody does also, so whenever we lose, it's certainly never enough and there's never any silver lining," Justin Williams said. "We expect to win every game, and one goal usually doesn't do it."
The Caps and Devils rematch on Saturday.
More to come...