from Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post,

The Washington Capitals might reflect on this preseason a few months from now and chuckle at all of the talk about their struggles in meaningless games. They might not remember these exhibitions at all, or how they were outscored 21-8 in the first six of them. The fact that just three of those eight goals have been at even strength may not be a sign of anything to come.

But it’s hard to have that foresight now and not wonder if the offensive woes of the preseason are signaling trouble for next week, when the games start to count. There’s a hefty grain of salt that comes with these exhibitions; the full lineup isn’t out there and its hard to manufacture intensity in glorified scrimmages.

But Coach Barry Trotz still found himself using words like “concerning” and “disturbing” after Washington again mustered just one goal in a 3-1 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night. Trotz considered the effort against the Hurricanes a step in the right direction, but the Capitals are now 1-5 in preseason games with the final one in St. Louis on Sunday afternoon.

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