Nicklas Backstrom understands that on the whole, teams that are forced to chase their opponents often end up losing a game. He also recognizes that the Washington Capitals shouldn’t have done themselves many favors with their early deficits in a number of their games this season.
“But, at the same time, I don’t think we’ve played bad in the first period,” Backstrom said. “Games have just been tight most of the time.”
The Capitals (44-10-4) have torn through the NHL at a record pace this season, leading all teams in goals scored and goal differential. Yet, they have found themselves in a bit of a quagmire when it comes to seizing an early lead.
Through 58 games, they have proven to be just as likely to score the first goal as they are to concede it, with each outcome occurring 29 times. Although they have won each of their last four games, the Capitals were also down, 1-0, for a stretch of each of those games, winning three in regulation and the fourth in overtime.
Washington has trailed in all but three of its 11 games since returning from the all-star break earlier this month and has still managed to win six of those eight games. It’s a testament, players say, to their overall resiliency; still, they recognize that it can be a harbinger of rough times.
“[It’s] something we need to look at, something we need to focus on, because you can’t keep coming back all the time — although it’s nice to know you can do it,” right wing Justin Williams said.
SEE ALSO: Capitals acquire Mike Weber from Sabres in exchange for third-round draft pick
Williams, who has won the Stanley Cup three times in his previous 14 seasons, is regarded by coach Barry Trotz as the team’s barometer of experience. He said on Monday night, after a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes, that the early-game struggles are purely a mental impediment that players must find a way to overcome.
Trotz, though, doesn’t necessarily agree. The first period of the game against the Coyotes revealed, to him, a series of errors that the Capitals should not make — namely, three sloppy penalties, two by Williams, and an inability to finish when presented with scoring chances.
“I think sometimes the other teams are looking at our record and saying, ’We’ve got to jump on these guys. We can’t let them get a lead,’” Trotz said. “So, you get their maximum effort in the first period … and what you see in the second period is, ’OK, let’s take it to another level.’ And, we do.”
Earlier this season, Washington counteracted a three-goal lead by the Tampa Bay Lightning by scoring five goals in the final 27:10 to win, 5-3. Two days later, on Dec. 20, the New York Rangers took a 3-1 lead late in the first period but eventually fell, 7-3, when the Capitals scored six unanswered goals.
In that game against Tampa Bay, Trotz pulled goaltender Braden Holtby after the third goal, believing it wasn’t fair for Holtby to have to bail out his teammates for their poor play. In the last four victories, Holtby has found comfort in watching other players help him recover should he find himself in an early hole.
“You know there’s 20 other guys who are thinking the same thing,” Holtby said. “We have the talent and the commitment in here to win every game if we put our mind to it.”
SEE ALSO: Capitals’ Jay Beagle likely to return from broken left hand by next week
All told, the Capitals enter Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens having scored 59 more goals than they’ve allowed — far and away the best mark in the league. They have only scored four more goals than their opponents in the first period, a figure that ties them for ninth in the category, but they have outscored opponents by 26 goals in the second period and by 28 goals in the third period, figures that are also tops in those categories.
Until being held scoreless in the third period of an overtime victory against the New York Islanders on Thursday, the Capitals had scored at least one goal in the final 20 minutes of regulation in each of their 20 previous games.
What, then, is the solution? Though the deficits may be the result of a mental hang-up, a keen level of focus has also played a large role in Washington’s resilience. Minimizing mistakes is important, but those, too, are bound to happen.
Then again, while the Capitals may have won 28 of the 29 games in which they’ve scored first, it’s not as if their 16-9-4 mark when conceding the first goal is particularly troubling.
“We’re having a little tough time right now with the first period, but at the same time, in the beginning of the season, we were good in the first period, too, so I mean, I don’t know,” Backstrom said. “We had both, so hopefully, we can turn that around and start a game off a little bit better than we have.”
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.