Caps lose again, fall to Canucks 4-2

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The Washington Capitals are average.  Simply average.  That is precisely the way this team is playing right now.  Gone is the vaunted offense, disappeared is the potent power play.

The Caps fall to the Canucks 4-2.  For the Caps, the losing returns to the fold, as they have now lost 3 of their last 4 outings.  Once again, you can point to the big guns for lack of goals.  Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom failed to tally goals, while Alexander Semin missed another game to injury.  Backstrom has not notched a goal since December 1st, 2010, while Semin has failed to tally a goal since November 28, 2010.  Not hard to figure out the Washington power struggles. In 45 games, Ovechkin has just 15 goals, Backstrom just 11 goals, and Semin has been stuck on 18 since the end of November.  However that is now where it ends.  Where is Brooks Laich?  Laich has scored just 8 goals this season, and 2 since December 1st.

Washington took the early lead on a Matt Hendricks goal at the 5:50 mark.  It was goal number 5 for Hendricks, assisted by Boyd Gordon and John Carlson.   That 1-0 Caps lead lasted less than three minutes when Alex Edler nailed home a goal to tie it a little over the 8 minute mark.  Christian Erhoff and Daniel Sedin scored goals in the second period to give the Canucks a 3-1 lead.  Near the mid-way mark of the third period, Marcus Johansson lifted the spirits of the Verizon Center by scoring his 6th goal of the season, assisted by fellow Swede Backstrom, to pull the Caps to within 1.  It was number 6 for Johansson and hi3 3rd goal in his last 3 games.

Caps failed to score late in third and Sedim wrapped it with up with an easy lay up empty netter to send the Cap to another defeat.  Semyon Varlamov stopped 31 of 34 shots to take the loss.  Caps again failed to score on the power play as the special teams unit has virtually collapsed.  They were 0-3 tonight.  In January alone, the Caps power play is a dismal 2 for 19.