Caps Drop Second Straight

As much skill as the Caps possess, and as impressive as they have looked this season, they cannot get into a shootout every night. Tonight, the Caps' solid defense and goaltending -- two hallmarks of their record 14-game winning streak-- abandoned them in a 6-5 loss in Ottawa.

Alex Semin became the third different Cap to record a hat trick this season -- all in consecutive games, a rare feat -- but it wasn't enough because the team's blueliners and Semyon Varlamov each had maybe their worst games of the season.

Varlamov was playing his first NHL game since December and it showed. Coach Bruce Boudreau doesn't like excuses, but it could have been due to rust or another factor. But the bottom line is that he gave up too many soft goals and didn't make the big saves that Jose Theodore had been making recently.

The team did not play the puck-possession style that is Boudreau's hallmark and looked sluggish -- again -- to start the game. The only good news is that the team is on the brink of a much needed two-week break. But there's one more game before that happens: Saturday in St. Louis.