Washington Lapse

WASHINGTON D.C. – Make no mistake about it, when after a game coach Peter Laviolette is giving one-word answers and general manager Paul Holmgren expresses concern for where his team is situated, the players have to take notice.

They better, or else this unexpectedly slow start is only going to get worse.

For that’s what took place in the nation’s capital Friday, and it couldn’t be more frustrating as the mistakes appear to be the same again and again.

Turnovers. Not getting pucks deep. Bad timing on substitutions. A continued struggle to score. Shots being blocked practically at will.

And another notch in the loss column.

Laviolette had hoped that two days of practice combined with the fact that the Capitals, also scuffling near the bottom of the standings, were coming off a game the night before and had to travel, would play to his team’s advantage.

For awhile it seemed that it would, but the mistakes caught up to the Flyers and the result was a 3-2 loss that dropped the team to 2-6-0 and into last place in the Eastern Conference.

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