The End of a Long Streak for the Capitals

Washington entered the third up 3-2 and unbeaten at 16-0-0 when leading after two periods. Then New York poured in five straight third-period goals and skated out with a 7-3 win at Capital One Arena.

The weird part is Washington had finally found its legs in the second, with John Carlson and Dylan Strome scoring 22 seconds apart. Aliaksei Protas added a goal and an assist, and the Caps looked set to squeeze the neutral zone shut.

Instead, Taylor Raddysh tied it early in the third, and Alexis Lafrenière's 100th career goal made it 4-3 just 68 seconds later. Vincent Trocheck, a 2011 third-rounder, kept living around the slot and finished the swing with two third-period goals.

From my seat, the breakdown was simple, rushed clears turned into Ranger reloads, and Washington's middle got soft. When Igor Shesterkin swallowed rebounds, the Caps had to re-enter again and again, and New York's forecheck just kept stacking bodies on the walls.

Tom Gulitti captured the gut punch mid-surge, and the post felt like a siren for a group heading into the break. That perfect two-period lead record is now 16-1-0, and it happened against a rival that needed the spark.

Caps fans have watched enough late leaks lately, and this one felt like the whole building exhaled at once.

Raddysh, drafted 58th in 2016, and Trocheck, drafted 64th in 2011, punished every missed assignment. Ryan Leonard, Washington's 2023 No. 8 pick, returned from injury and still set up two goals, which makes the ending even harder to wear.

Spencer Carbery and Dylan Strome talked afterward about a bad taste heading into the holiday, and you could hear the frustration. The fix is not mysterious, win races, clear cleanly, and stop gifting the slot on second chances.

Washington gets a few days to cool off, but this collapse should ride along until the next puck drop. If the Capitals want to stay in the Metro mix, their third periods have to look boring again.