The Washington Capitals are arguably the most fun team to watch this season. High-scoring wins? Check. Their captain breaking a historic 26-year-old goal record? Check. Just enough defensive lapses for some late-stage drama? Also check. And speaking of those defensive lapses, it’s the Columbus Blue Jackets who’ve come in and blown the door wide open there with their 7-0 (!) rout of the Capitals followed by a 4-1 defeat at the Capital One Arena. The playoffs are knocking on the door, and the Capitals are stumbling when they should be surging. But is their 2-game skid really a cause for concern? Ryan Whitney seems to think so.

With the playoffs so close, there was a fiery debate going on in the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast about what’s going down in Washington. “I don’t know why I don’t think of them as a true cup contender,” said co-host Ryan Whitney. “I think there’s a chance Montreal shocks them [in round 1].” On paper, it seems like a contrarian opinion, but is it really?

Whitney’s reasoning is solid—the Washington Capitals have not looked too hot of late. “Ovi got his 896th the other night as well; he keeps goin’,” Whitney continued. “But Washington guys, they are not playing well. They’ve given up, I think, 3 or more goals in 11 straight games. So the defense and what you need to have goin’ on before the playoffs has kind of disappeared.”

The Gr8 Chase naturally commanded most of the attention, but the Caps need to put it behind them now and return to the basics. “Understandably, the Ovi goal chase took a life of its own, and the celebrating and just the excitement around that, but there has to be a moment of like, ‘Alright, back to what made us so good all season.’ I think it’s going to be a great series.”

Paul Bissonnette was inclined to agree with this analysis as well. “I think there’s a strong consensus amongst a lot of people who watch and have seen the end of the season that Washington might have busted their nut too early. Right? They had a heavy heavy sack and it was busted with the Ovi goal chase and how it was broken and and all of a sudden like they you know the the amount of celebrations and then after it’s all said and done they got the real Juicy Jay in the hallway with the third jerseys on so like it’s been this like long happy celebration and then all of a sudden it’s like I agree with you they have not been playing good hockey.”

The consensus is that the Capitals are not playing up to their standards. But the question is, can they halt this skid in its tracks? Alex Ovechkin‘s goal record is still fresh on everyone’s minds but the time to lock in is now and they need to eliminate all distractions going forward.

Was Ovi’s Gr8 Chase a distraction for the Washington Capitals?

There are no words left to describe Alex Ovechkin’s historic milestone. It was absolutely ridiculous, amazing, stupendous, incredible, awesome… and that’s probably enough adjectives now. Nonetheless, regardless of the momentousness of the chase, it’s also true that it took up much of the focus this season. And with the record finally broken, there’s nothing left to paper over the cracks and the Caps’ defensive vulnerabilities are firmly in the spotlight.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman pointed out this very fact, though he still favored the Capitals in the playoffs. “I’m not concerned, but they have been very leaky,” he said on the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast. Like Whitney, Friedman also highlighted that Caps’ leaky defense. But until now, the offense had been firing on cylinders to overcome it.

And that brings us to Ovechkin and the focus on his quest to the top. “Nobody really cared how they were playing,” said Friedman “It was all about let’s enjoy the goal chase and have fun with that.” But the chase is over and the Caps still look vulnerable, which is the biggest cause for concern.

“Now I really thought that the gold chase ending early was the best thing for the Capitals because then they could focus on their game right and and worry about you know but buttoning down and being ready before the playoffs but they’re still giving up more goals than you’d want especially at this time of year

While the offense did boom during Ovechkin’s chase, the defensive cracks now glare with each loss. But let’s not take a one-sided approach by pointing to Ovechkin or his legendary chase. After all, the captain did what he’s always done, and while it may have slightly distracted from the bigger picture, the current slump can’t be pinned on a single narrative, right? And for the Capitals? Well, they are a veteran team with a mature locker room, and despite the defensive lapses, they’ve proved enough times who they are, and they know how to bounce back. If there’s one mistake anyone can make right now, it’s writing the Washington Capitals off.