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The midpoint of the season provides a perfect opportunity for players and front offices to review what’s gone right and what needs to improve. Brutally honest assessments are vital, both on and off the ice, for the good of the franchise.

To that end, the 2023-24 Washington Capitals have proven to be a limited bunch. The offense struggles to score consistently (only two teams in the league have scored less this season), the defense has been erratic and the goaltenders remain streaky. With an aging roster that too often relies on razor-thin margins, each game further solidifies that Washington is not a true contender and that simply qualifying for the postseason might be a difficult achievement.

Nicklas Backstrom ($9.2 million this season) played just eight games before stepping away from the team thanks to a chronic hip injury. Evgeny Kuznetsov ($7.8 million) did not return after the All-Star break, having entered the NHL’s player assistance program. T.J. Oshie ($5.75 million) remains productive when healthy, but “when healthy” is a substantial disclaimer for the oft-injured winger. Alex Ovechkin’s ($9.5 million) pursuit of the NHL’s all-time scoring record is in serious jeopardy after a less-than-stellar first half of the season.

For Washington to be truly competitive this season, they need much more from their core players. With the trade deadline one month away and the Caps currently on the outside looking in at likely playoff teams — Moneypuck gives them a 1.5 percent chance of qualifying while The Athletic puts the odds at five percent — the next few weeks will decide general manager Brian MacLellan’s course of action.

Sadly, Washington’s start to the second half of the season wasn’t any better than their first half showing, as Montreal cruised to a relatively straightforward 5-2 win at Capital One Arena. Goalie Charlie Lindgren was pulled after allowing three goals on nine shots and the competitive portion of the evening concluded before the game was even 12 minutes old.

Ovechkin scored his 10th goal of the season and 832nd of his NHL career, on an otherwise forgettable night for the home team. Ovechkin is now 62 goals away from Wayne Gretzky’s record, while his Capitals are currently mired in a season-long five-game winless streak.

A little more than 24 hours after visiting the White House, the Vegas Golden Knights looked to build on their strong start to the young NHL season at the expense of the Washington Capitals.

Goalie Charlie Lindgren had other ideas though, stopping all 35 shots he faced in a 3-0 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions, which marked Washington’s first shutout of the season and the veteran netminder’s first shutout with the franchise. After a slow start to the campaign (with just one win in their first five contests), the Capitals have now won three consecutive games and six of their last eight.

For much of last season, Washington looked old and slow out on the ice — plodding up and down the ice during open play and taking too long to get set up on the powerplay. This season has seen a much-needed infusion of youth and speed to go along with first-year coach Spencer Carbery, and the results have been promising. During the preseason, the line of Dylan Strome, Sonny Milano and Matthew Phillips stood out for their efforts and against Vegas, they once again delivered — as Strome scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season in the late stages of the first period.

Early in the second period, center Evgeny Kuznetsov dropped to the ice in obvious pain after an illegal hit to the head by Golden Knights center Paul Cotter, who was ejected from the game. Washington received a five-minute powerplay, but the league’s worst powerplay unit failed to capitalize on the lengthy advantage. Typically, killing off a five-minute penalty provides a huge boost and the Golden Knights upped their efforts once they returned to even strength, but Lindgren continually found ways to thwart Vegas’ high-powered attack.

Connor McMichael and Beck Malenstyn added goals in the final minute of regulation to ensure the Caps closed out their most impressive victory of the season. While the top-line talent remained quiet, goals from the second, third and fourth lines showed nice balance across the roster and provided a reason for optimism moving forward. If/when the biggest names on the roster begin to produce, this season could become a lot more interesting.

It’s safe to say that the Washington Capitals aren’t off to the best of starts. Through four games, the Caps have been blown out twice, lost once in overtime and picked up their lone win via shootout. They’ve scored just six goals in those four games (lowest in the league), none on the powerplay (also lowest in the league) and have yet to lead a game for a single second (which is not ideal).

The team is so out of sync right now that left wing Alex Ovechkin failed to register a shot in back-to-back games for the first time in his Hall of Fame career (1,496 games). It’s not a controversial statement to suggest when the face of the franchise struggles, so too does the franchise itself.

In an effort to rectify issues that have plagued them this season, the Capitals had their best start to a game this season — applying tons of pressure and spending ample time in the offensive zone. And for a few moments center Nicklas Backstrom appeared to give Washington its first lead of the season, when he corralled the loose puck and fired it over Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll in the opening period. Alas, the officials determined that Ovechkin impacted Woll’s ability to make a save on the play, so the game remained scoreless.

Even though they played with much more confidence and aggression, the Caps still found themselves down 2-0 for a fifth-consecutive game. Washington outshot Toronto by 37-17, but the Maple Leafs made their limited number of shots count as Morgan Rielly, John Tavares, William Nylander and Auston Matthews each scored for the visitors. Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper made just 13 saves.

On the other side of the rink, Ovechkin registered 14 shots, nearly matching Toronto’s shot total by himself. The 38-year-old was awarded a penalty shot when Mark Giordano hooked him on a breakaway during the second period, but was unable to convert the opportunity. While he will go down as one of the best goal scorers the league has ever seen, Ovechkin has scored on just two of 13 career penalty shots. The Great 8 did score his first goal this season — the 300th power-play goal and 823rd of his storied career — during the final moments of the second period. But the outcome had long since been decided by that point.

“It’s the same old story,” said coach Spencer Carbery. “We’re finding ways to lose hockey games. In the National Hockey League, you can do all the good things you want. Structurally, there are a lot of good things going on, no question. But at the end of the day, if you want to be a good team in this league, you’ve got to find ways to win as opposed to finding ways to lose.”

After stumbling out the gates in their season opener, the Washington Capitals looked to rebound three days later against the Calgary Flames. But for the second-straight game, the home team got off to a poor start and found themselves on the verge of another blowout loss.

If not for goalie Darcy Kuemper, the competitive portion of the evening would have once again come and gone before the Capitals ever got started — with Calgary outshooting the Caps 15-1 to start the game while building a 2-0 lead. Kuemper, who missed the Pittsburgh game for the birth of his son, stopped 38 of 40 shots on the night. He also saved a penalty shot during regulation and all three attempts during the shootout. Again, he was stellar while earning his first win as a father.

Center Evgeny Kuznetsov, utilizing his methodically slow method known as the “Kuzy Crawl,” scored the only goal of the shootout to complete the comeback. Washington also received a strong showing from 25-year-old forward Matthew Phillips, who scored his first NHL goal and picked up an assist against his former club. And, on a night of so many “firsts,” Capitals’ coach Spencer Carbery also secured his first win as an NHL head coach.

Sadly, the franchise’s home sellout streak came to an end at 588 consecutive games. While the Capitals remain the best ticket in town, after missing the postseason for the first time in nine years and with ticket prices continuing to rise, Capital One Arena is no longer guaranteed to be sold out every time the home team takes to the ice. A sad, but not completely surprising, scenario for a team much closer to the end of than the beginning of an era.

Hours before the puck dropped on the 2023-24 season, members of the Washington Capitals hit the red carpet in style — arriving to the venue in luxury vehicles donning designer suits, they smiled for the cameras and signed countless autographs for a sea of red-clad fans. It was a picture perfect way to signify the start of the new campaign.

The same could not be said about the game that followed. With their chief rival in town, the Capitals were thoroughly schooled by the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-0, in front of a sellout crowd.

After last season ended in disappointment, with the Caps missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014, cautious optimism filled the hearts and minds of the fanbase eager to see what a healthy core of returning veterans could do under new coach Spencer Carbery. Sadly, Washington was out-hustled, outworked and outclassed by Sidney Crosby, Evgeny Malkin and friends.

“We shot ourselves in the foot with our execution and puck management,” said center Nicklas Backstrom, or the team’s lackluster showing.

For better or worse, it’s wise not to fixate on any one particular performance over the course of an 82-game regular season. Players are trained to never get too high or too low, and fans would be wise to embrace a similar mentality. That said, this was a less-than-ideal way to turn the page

“It’s the worst scripted start we possibly could’ve had in terms of just being disappointed. Home ice, trying to generate some momentum from a season standpoint. That certainly did not happen,” Carbery said.

Let’s say this up front, the Washington Capitals have missed the playoffs just once in the last 15 seasons. They’ve been remarkably consistent in a town where heartbreak and despair typically rule the local sports landscape.

Sadly, the Caps will miss the postseason for the first time since 2014, and many of the names and faces that fans have grown accustomed to over the last several years might be elsewhere when the puck drops next season. 

Washington’s general manager Brian MacLellan has some difficult decision to make — first and foremost, whether or not to re-sign coach Peter Laviolette. Once he figures out who will be behind the bench, MacLellan can turn his attention to which players have earned the chance to stick around for the last few seasons of Alex Ovechkin’s illustrious career. Players like Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson and John Carlson will almost assuredly return next season, but many others currently on the roster are on far less-stable footing. 

That’s why the last two weeks of this disappointing season remain so vital … and so infuriating. Each loss might help the Capitals secure a better draft pick, but it also exposes more potential problems with the roster as presented constructed. With an offense that struggles to score consistently and a defense that’s seemingly incapable of allowing less than four or five goals per game, despite a strong statistical season by Darcy Kuemper in net, it’s looking more and more like radical changes are needed to return to the postseason.

All of these flaws were on display for a disappointing 5-2 loss at the hands of the New York Rangers. Washington fell behind early and never really threatened to make it much of a contest as they dropped a fourth-consecutive game. More Capitals players fought (three) than scored (two) during this matinee matchup, which sums up an otherwise forgettable afternoon perfectly.

With Jordan Binnington suspended two games for acting like a crazy person, the St. Louis Blues turned to 22-year-old goalie Joel Hofer. The emergency call-up responded by stopping 32 of 34 shots in his season debut and dealt the Washington Capitals a demoralizing 5-2 loss on St. Patrick’s Day.

While Hofer was clearing seizing the moment on one end of the ice, the Capitals too often hung their veteran netminder, Darcy Kuemper, out to dry on the opposite side of the rink. Washington allowed a goal on the first shot attempt allowed, less than two minutes into the contest and never recovered. Amazingly, the Caps have now allowed a goal on the first shot they’ve faced in three-straight games.

The team’s struggles aren’t just about starting slowly, however. Thanks to a bevy of missed assignments, defensive miscues and breakaways allowed, St. Louis jumped out to a 4-0 lead before the second period concluded, all but killing any lingering hopes of sneaking into the postseason. Defenseman Rasmus Sandin, who has looked great offensively and has provided a spark on the power play since joining the Capitals at the trade deadline, was on the ice for four Blues goals on the night.

Third-period goals from defenseman Martin Fehervary and center Nicklas Backstrom made the final score line look closer than the game actually was, and the Caps now finds themselves in a situation where they need to essentially win their final 12 games of the regular season to have any real chance to qualify for the playoffs.

That sobering reality killed the buzz in what should have been a festive atmosphere at Capital One Arena. Even the most optimistic fans are going to have trouble keeping the faith after this loss.