Capitals Wrap: Caps Seek Fix & Slide In East, Ovechkin Speaks, Vanecek Update

The Washington Capitals were hoping to get back in the win column over the weekend, but things didn’t go according to plan in Philadelphia.

After a tough Thursday in New York, the Capitals got back to work for a Friday skate in Philly. They had a big chance to bounce back in a Saturday matinee against the struggling Flyers, who had lost six straight and sit last in the Metropolitan Division. However, Washington couldn’t sustain momentum going after a tough start and fell 2-1 in a lackluster loss that spoke volumes.

Not only was the loss a tough one to take in, but after the Capitals’ loss and a Bruins win on Saturday, Washington fell to the second Wild Card spot and sits just 10 points in front of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Here are all the latest news and notes from D.C. and across the NHL:

Capitals Links & Notes

• The Capitals know that their current level of play is not impressive, and John Carlson and company had some strong thoughts after the loss to Philly: “It’s unacceptable.” (WHN)
• Speaking of that Flyers matinee here’s what went wrong for Washington in the lackluster 2-1 loss. (WHN)
• As the team looks ahead to a Monday tilt with the Leafs, the Capitals are also hoping to also see progress with Vitek Vanecek. To get him back into the full swing of game action, they sent him to the AHL on a conditioning loan while also re-assigning Pheonix Copley. (WHN)
• Martin Fehervary caught up with us to discuss switching from soccer to hockey at a young age, how he became so good at skating and how he has handled the transition to Washington’s top-pairing defenseman as a 22-year-old rookie. (WHN)
• Could Calle Jarnkrok be on the Capitals’ radar? Here’s more on the forward, who used to play under Peter Laviolette in Nashville. (WHN)
• Alex Ovechkin spoke on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and asked for “please, no more war.” Here’s everything he had to say, as well as his full presser. (WHN)
• Former Washington forward Dmitri Khristich has sent a message from the Ukraine. The Kyiv native said the country is doing its best in the fight against Russia’s invasion.

The man 3rd from the left in the photo is former NHL player Dmitri Kristich. He called today from Ukraine asking us to pass on a message: “We are fighting hard, doing our best. We need you to tell the Russian people what is really going on. All they hear is propaganda and lies.” pic.twitter.com/HhGYiS9zyn

— Gord Miller (@GMillerTSN) February 26, 2022

NHL Links

• In Philadelphia, the Flyers are being linked to a lot of trade speculation, ranging from Claude Giroux to Rasmus Ristolainen to Jeff Petry. Sam Carchidi has everything to know. (Philly Hockey Now)
• The Pittsburgh Penguins are not seeing the best from Kasperi Kapanen right now. Dan Kingerski gives a shift-by-shift breakdown of what’s wrong with his recent play. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)
• As the Capitals will be in for quite a contest on Monday, as the Leafs managed 10 goals against the Detroit Red Wings, who ended up with seven, on a wild Saturday that included a Stadium Series showdown. James O’Brien breaks down all the action. (Pro Hockey Talk)
• It’s been a long time since Jake DeBrusk spoke to the media amid a trade request, and he finally opened up after a big performance for the Bruins this past week. Jimmy Murphy has more. (Boston Hockey Now)