Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Laich: We have to keep our composure

Washington Capitals v Florida Panthers

SUNRISE, FL - DECEMBER 5: Brooks Laich #21 of the Washington Capitals prepares for a face off against the Florida Panthers on December 5, 2011 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers defeated the Capitals 5-4. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

Getty Images

The Capitals held a players-only meeting yesterday.

Of course they did.

Washington’s won just three of its last 12 games, a slide that couldn’t be coming at a worse time in the season.

Oh, and the Caps aren’t just losing -- they’re losing.

Monday in Carolina, they were down two goals just five minutes into the first period on the way to a 5-0 defeat. Wednesday in Ottawa, they were behind 4-0 by the end of the second period and went on to lose, 5-2.

Drop another tonight at home to Montreal and Washington will find itself three points back of Florida for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, and the Panthers will have two games in hand.

Thus, the players-only meeting.

“When you lose, the worst thing that can happen is sometimes guys start to point fingers,” Brooks Laich said, as per CSNWashington.com. “We want to make sure that no matter what happens, we don’t point any fingers.

“There are no excuses. You win as a team, and you lose as a team. The results haven’t been there, but the worst thing we can do is get frustrated and start tearing apart at the seams.”

Of note, Caps coach Dale Hunter has given the starting nod to Michal Neuvirth after Tomas “I didn’t play good at all” Vokoun was pulled against both the ‘Canes and Sens.

Neuvirth is 6-9-3 with a .897 save percentage.

Related: Ovechkin to play tonight against Habs