Washington Capitals’ road trip continues in St. Paul on Tuesday night as they are scheduled to face the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The journey kicked off with a 3-0 defeat against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
The Caps find themselves once again striving to spur their offensive performance. Saturday's loss marked their fifth shutout of the season, the highest in a single season since 2018-19. Washington has struggled this season, scoring one or fewer goals in 16 of 44 of their games.
"We're going to get to work," said Caps' coach Spencer Carbery following the team’s loss against the Blues.
In the Saturday game, Washington managed only 18 shots on net and went without a shot on goal for extended periods in each period. This offensive struggle persisted despite their ability to limit the Blues to just 12 shots on net at 5-on-5 during their previous home encounter.
Carbery acknowledged the defensive effort by St. Louis and went on to stress the importance of addressing his team's shortcomings.
“There’s a lot of things that we failed to do in that St. Louis game that we need to do a way better job of offensively,” said Carbery. “And so we addressed those, we talked about them, and hopefully we’ll implement those and see those come to life .”
Following an off day in Minneapolis on Sunday, the Capitals regrouped for a Monday practice session, preparing for the upcoming back-to-back games against Minnesota and the Colorado Avalanche.
The Caps are poised to enter the game against Minnesota as underdogs, with the Wild being favored to win.
Players to watch out for
Forward Alexander Ovechkin contributed eight goals and 20 assists in 41 games, accumulating a noteworthy 28 total points for the season, continuing to be a pivotal scoring force on the ice for the Capitals.
Dylan Strome likewise contributed a total of 28 points, consisting of 16 goals and 12 assists in 44 games. John Carlson, a stalwart on the blue line, has contributed 26 points throughout the season, including three goals and 23 assists.
In nets, Darcy Kuemper holds his own among the league's goaltenders as he tended the goal in 23 games this season. Kuemper has conceded 70 goals and 3.1 goals against average this season and has racked up 595 saves and a .895 save percentage.
Among Minnesota's impact players, dynamic forward Kirill Kaprizov stands out with 42 points from 18 goals and 24 assists.
Joel Eriksson Ek tallied 36 points with a balanced performance of 20 goals and 16 assists. Meanwhile, Mats Zuccarello has contributed 35 points to the Wild's campaign, combining eight goals and 27 assists.
In the goaltending department, Filip Gustavsson has given up 79 goals and 3.3 goals against average. Despite the pressure, Gustavsson has demonstrated resilience with an impressive 679 saves and .896 save percentage.
Injury update
Minnesota will have to deal with a challenging roster as their key players grapple with various injuries. Jared Spurgeon faces a season-ending absence due to issues with his hip and back, while Sam Hentges is sidelined with an undisclosed injury.
Meanwhile, Frederick Gaudreau and Marc-Andre Fleury are both listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Connor Dewar and Vinni Lettieri are both out with lower-body injuries.
On the other side of the rink, Washington’s Rasmus Sandin and Nicklas Bäckström are sidelined due to an upper-body and hip injury respectively, leaving a notable void in the lineup. Sonny Milano is also sidelined, dealing with an upper-body injury.