Capitals Lose to Columbus Blue Jackets 5-1
The Washington Capitals fall to the Blue Jackets 5-1 after a bad team performance in Columbus. Braden Holtby has now lost a career high six straight losses in a row.
The Capitals just looked like a team who slept walked through the first period. The Capitals where slow, un-motivated and not physical at all. Holtby let in four goals on 16 shots.
Holtby is a former Vezina trophy winner, and two-time NHL All-Star and has been pulled in his last two starts. Capitals goalie Couch Mitch Korn needs to get to work with him, and get back to the basics because he is on his way to be the highest paid backup goalie in the league.
Philip Groubauer replaced Holtby in the second and looked like a true NHL starter stopping all 18 shots. His rebound control was great and looked calm and cool. Unlike Holtby, Groubauer was out challenging shots.
I would say two of the four goals Holtby let in was due to him being to far back into the net. When you go back to his last goal he was almost standing in the net when Seth Jones blasted one by him on the power play. When a shooter is shooting from the point a goalie needs to be standing on top of the crease cutting off the angles!
Only player that showed up to play tonight was Alex Ovechkin. He had a goal on eight shots tonight. He was skating fast, his passing looked goal and he got in a confrontation with Blue Jackets coach John Tortarella.
The Capitals defense was off today. There was a huge lack of physically all around with a combined total of hits of four hits from all six defensemen. Championship teams don’t win with there defensemen hitting that little. True championship teams finish there checks!
There was a lot of speculation today during the trade deadline that the Capitals where in talks with Eric Karlson and Mike Green. After tonight’s performance it looks like the Capitals need a hitter like Ian Cole.
Not just defense offense needs to hit as well. The Capitals where our hit 19 to 10. A player like Max Domi was on the trade block who is a true gritty player just like his father Tie who would’ve been a great replacement to Jakub Vrana for the second line who wasn’t even in the lineup tonight.
The Capitals play next tomorrow back in D.C. against the Ottawa Senators at 7:00 PM.
