Mike Knuble couldn’t get this one past Senators goalie Brian Elliott; the Caps fell
5-4 in overtime. Photo by Ghost_Bear.

Going 0-1-2 in your past three games isn’t the worst stat in the books, but it’s certainly unusual for the league-leading Washington Capitals. After losing 5-4 to the Ottawa Senators in overtime last night, the Capitals traced their problems back to poor performance in the first period — a recurring problem in their last three outings.

“For the third game in a row, [our opponents] scored the first goal,” Caps center David Steckel said Tuesday after the game. “We got better as the game went on again, but it’s not good enough in the first.”

The most prolific offense in the NHL, which spent most of the season outscoring opponents 82-60 in the first period, has now been outscored 9-1 in the opening 20 minutes during this three-game slide. Against Ottawa on Tuesday, the Caps were down 3-1 by the first intermission — though Caps head coach Bruce Boudreau said he thought it was good defense on Ottawa’s part rather than poor offense by the Caps, who still managed only four shots on goal compared to Ottawa’s 13.

The first period has also put pressure on the Caps’ penalty kill, which is 25th overall in the league. In the past three games, the Caps’ PK unit has been tested five times in the first period, and opponents have cashed in on three of those five opportunities.

Then there’s the goalie situation. Jose Theodore, who still hasn’t technically lost in regulation since before Stephen Strasburg threw his first pitch of spring training, has given up six first-period goals in his last two starts. Boudreau pulled him Sunday against Calgary halfway through the first after the Caps fell behind 3-0, but his replacement, Semyon Varlamov, then gave up another first period goal. Varlamov has similarly struggled for form, having allowed three in the first over his last two games. Overall, the Caps have let opponents score 10 goals in the past two contests.

“I don’t like five goals against,” Boudreau said. “We just have to get better.”