March 3, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, United States; Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (48) reacts after allowing a goal to Utah Mammoth right winger JJ Peterka (not pictured) during the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images The Washington Capitals’ shock has passed. Now the onus is on them to regroup and make the playoffs, starting with Monday’s home game against the Calgary Flames.
The Capitals dealt two key players in linchpin defenseman John Carlson and forward Nic Dowd before the trade deadline and suffered a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
Washington has now won six of seven games and is on a three-game losing streak, but still has a chance to make the playoffs despite Boston’s loss leaving them six points behind the Bruins for the final Eastern Conference wild card spot.
“I have a lot of confidence in the leadership group that is still here and the rest of the group that understands that we have work to do,” coach Spencer Carbery said. “Yes, we lost two great people, two great players and two big pieces of our team, but we also have a lot of really good players on this roster.”
Before the deadline, Washington acquired forward David Kampf from the Vancouver Canucks and defenseman Timothy Liljegren from the San Jose Sharks for draft picks, but there are few signs of throwing in the towel. Both are expected to play against Calgary.
The Capitals put up a fight against Boston. The game was tied after three quarters and ended with an empty goal in the final minute.
“The effort is there,” goalkeeper Logan Thompson said. “As players, the one thing we can control is our work ethic, so we have to continue to work hard and find ways to get better every game, every practice, and hopefully start getting better results.”
The Flames are mathematically still alive, just 10 points out of a playoff spot, but they traded away two key players in center Nazem Kadri and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar at the deadline, showing where they are headed as an organization.
The Flames snapped a four-game losing skid before embarking on a five-game East road swing with a 5-4 upset of the Eastern Conference-leading Carolina Hurricanes at home on Saturday.
“We’re a resilient group,” goalie Dustin Wolf said. “We just haven’t had a lot of luck. It feels good to get it.”
In addition to the numerous draft picks and prospects included in the trade, the Flames acquired a veteran to help with the transition during their rebuild. In turn, center Ryan Strome scored a goal in the two-point win over Carolina, while defenseman Olli Mata recorded an assist and played nearly 24 minutes. Forward Viktor Olofsson is expected to make his debut for the club on this trip.
“We need hungry players,” coach Ryan Huska said. “Often we talk about the middle group of 25- or 26-year-olds who need to do that, but there are also older men who we often forget but who still have a lot to prove and feel they can still contribute to the team.”
Defenseman Zach Whitecloud is injured and listed as day-to-day for the Hurricanes. The Flames recalled defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz and forward Matvei Gridin from the minors.
–Field level media
