It was the power play that was particularly galling to the sellout crowd at MCI Center, which rained boos on the team after it went on a four-minute advantage – two full minutes in a 5-on-3 – and barely threatened, much less scored. After the game, Capitals Coach Ron Wilson was as critical as the fans, chastising his players for their inability to work together.
"We had a couple of guys out there who didn't look like they really got into it or understood the urgency of the situation," Wilson said. "It's upsetting to see an advantage like that, where some people at times try to exclude others that are out on the ice. That was just disappointing, that five-on-three. We could have taken control of the game.
"We had some people who were open but it's, 'I don't want to pass the puck over there, I want to stubbornly make my own play.' When there are people who are open, you have to give them the puck. It's that simple."
The Capitals, who were down 2-1 at the time of that power-play opportunity, caught a slice of redemption 15 seconds before the second intermission when left wing Steve Konowalchuk scored to tie the game at 2. But another squandered power play in the third period opened the door for New Jersey's Bobby Holik to score the game-winner with 12 minutes 24 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Capitals saw their record drop to 11-19-3.
"We've shown time and time again that for whatever reason, when we get a five-on-three, we don't think out there," right wing Brian Bellows said. "Five-on-threes aren't that difficult to get quality shots on, and I think in the entire two minutes, we only got one. Sure, you can say we came out of it okay because we got a goal at the end of the period there, but we had a chance to get one or two goals and get the momentum there, and we really blew it.
"The same thing happened in San Jose [earlier in the month.] I think we need to look at some tapes and think a little more. We really have to work with each other and know what each other is doing. We had five guys out there, and you all have to think together. Right now it just seems guys are all doing their own thing."
Washington was thrown off its rhythm 7:36 into the game when Devils right wing Vadim Sharifijanov skated from behind the goal to the front and used goaltender Rick Tabaracci's prone body to bank the puck into the net.
The goal seemed to flatten both the team and the crowd, although everyone was riled up again when the Capitals' Craig Berube and Devils' Krzysztof Oliwa and then Washington's Enrico Ciccone and New Jersey's Sasha Lakovic began exchanging punches. The Capitals seemed bolstered by the fights, and they got more help about 30 seconds later when Petr Sykora was called for hooking. About a minute into the advantage, Konowalchuk and Michal Pivonka made good use of a 2-on-1 opportunity, with Pivonka scoring the tying goal with 12:24 gone.
It was the only power play Washington converted all night, despite having seven opportunities.
"We're doing the little things about 80 percent of the time, but we have to be more consistent with it," Konowalchuk said. "In the last game, we did it the whole game, and it resulted in a win, but we didn't tonight and it's frustrating. It's hard to pinpoint what's going on."
The Devils had the chance to take the lead again with about six minutes left in the period when Jay Pandolfo was awarded a penalty shot, but he skated too wide to the right before shooting and Tabaracci was able to make the stop.
New Jersey was more successful midway through the second period, when the Capitals didn't backcheck left wing Brian Rolston on their own power play, allowing him to score short-handed. Konowalchuk's goal tied the score just before the second intermission, but Holik scored his 16th goal of the season midway through the third period to seal the New Jersey win.
Capitals Note: General Manager George McPhee was back at MCI Center after spending a few days in Winnipeg at the world junior championships. The tournament, which runs through next week, features players who were drafted last summer and players eligible for the draft this June.
"It's a great opportunity for a GM to see the whole pool of talent," McPhee said.