NHL: Capitals, Mammoth each reeling from surprise lopsided losses

The Washington Capitals aim to bounce back from a rare loss and extend their home winning streak to six games on Tuesday when they host the Utah Mammoth.

Superstar captain Alex Ovechkin ended a seven-game goal drought by scoring twice in Washington’s 6-2 defeat to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Ovechkin surpassed Tom Wilson to reclaim the team lead in goals (24) and points (50) for the Capitals, who suffered only their second loss in the last eight games.

“I didn’t mind some of the things that we did [on Saturday],” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. “I thought we created enough offensively, we just made way too many catastrophic mistakes to be able to sustain that.”

Anthony Beauvillier added two assists, while Dylan Strome contributed one for the Capitals.

“I still think our game is in a good spot, and we’ve just got to keep stacking wins,” Strome said. “Obviously, we’ve played more games than everyone, so we’re going to need some help, but we’ve just got to keep stacking wins. We’ll find a way to bounce back on Tuesday and then go from there.”

Washington also needs to spark its struggling power play. The Capitals went 0-for-4 with the man advantage on Saturday and are 0-for-10 on the power play in three games since returning from the Olympic break.

“I know they’re frustrated. Guys want to score in those spots, especially [Strome], [Ovechkin], [defenseman Jakob Chychrun]. They understand that’s an important part of their identity and their roles,” Carbery said. “When they don’t, they get frustrated. I get it.”

The Capitals’ power play has converted at a meager 15.5% this season, ranking 31st out of 32 NHL teams.

Utah will try to recover after being shut out for the fifth time this season in Sunday’s 4-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Karel Vejmelka made 24 saves for the Mammoth, who have dropped two of three games since the Olympic break.

“I thought we were just disconnected all over the ice— with the puck, without the puck, on our breakouts, on our offensive play. It just felt disconnected,” Utah’s Mikhail Sergachev said.

The Mammoth hope to bring more intensity as they start a five-game road trip in the nation’s capital. Utah clings to the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Seattle Kraken and four points above the playoff bubble.

“We need two points every night, and we’re in a hell of a race. That game has to be won,” Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said. “We need to take that game and learn from it. If that’s the purpose of the game, it is what it is, but there’s no reason to play like that again.”

Dylan Guenther leads Utah with 27 goals, while captain Clayton Keller tops the team in assists (40) and points (58).

—Field Level Media/Reuters