“We just know the ins and outs of a lot of their systems,” said Spencer Carbery before taking on the Canes in Round 2 of the playoffs. However, after tonight, not everyone would be convinced that the veteran coach of the Washington Capitals was being entirely truthful about the team’s chances of winning their second Stanley Cup.

Just moments ago, this year’s Metropolitan Division top seed took a massive 4-0 beating at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC Arena. With that, the Caps are now trailing the Canes by 2-1 in the best-of-seven-game series. Naturally, Coach Carbery wasn’t feeling the best after the fumble.

In a post by the official Washington Capitals on X from May 10, Spencer Carbery’s statements after tonight’s disappointing result could be heard. “We needed something on that power play probably early in the third period and didn’t get it, so now it becomes challenging,” the coach admitted how the loss has made things difficult ahead of Game 4, slated for Monday at Raleigh.

The Hurricanes forged ahead in the second period, thanks to a snap-shot goal by Andrei Svechnikov. The Canes kept scoring as the Caps fell further and further behind. However, knowing the beefy roster Washington boasts, one would have thought the team would at least try to fight back. “Whenever we’re playing from behind, it’s not a good recipe for our group. We just don’t have the firepower that can snap it around,” Spencer said with a disheartened tone.

Washington’s fate was sealed by three more goals by Jack Roslovic, Eric Robinson, and Jackson Blake. And yet, it could have an entirely different scoreline. In the first period, the Capitals outshot the hosts 9-6, but couldn’t make their efforts count. Even them they could’ve easily climbed back up from the sinkhole, and it wouldn’t even have been the first time.

The Caps were the side that recorded the highest number of comeback wins in the 2024-25 season (25). With that statistic in mind, you’d expect the NHL powerhouse to pull off similar stuff in the playoffs, especially since the stakes are even higher at this stage. And yet, it almost seemed like the Caps lost their will to take the fight to the Canes. For justifiable reasons, Spencer Carbery wasn’t amused.

“It’s just not our makeup. Once we start to trail, we start to press, and then you see some uncharacteristic things. We can’t string some plays together, and it gets a little sloppy,” Coach Carbery said, without even trying to sound bright about the future. But are we, really, that surprised?

The Washington Capitals coach has reasons to be skeptical

The Caps were the first team to qualify for the 2025 playoffs. Nothing less to expect from one of the NHL’s top squads. For a roster that boasts players like Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson, Jakob Chychrun, and the iconic Alex Ovechkin, you’d expect the team to steamroll anyone who gets in their way. Moreover, with the Russian forward breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal record in April, the faith in the possibility of Spencer Carbery’s boys winning their second Stanley Cup should have only been bolstered. But, boy, you couldn’t be more off-target.

Just days after Ovechkin’s seminal feat, Washington was pounded by the Columbus Blue Jackets by a staggering margin of 7-0. Appalling, right? You bet! But once they headed to the playoffs, the Caps looked like the top seed they were. Winning the first two games against the Habs in Round 1, Ovie & Co. looked to be firmly in control of things. But the Canadiens managed to pull one back in Game 3, and Carbery was again at the end of his wits.

Thankfully, though, Washington managed to seal its victory in Round 1 after five games. But the Hurricanes, despite finishing the regular season behind Spencer Carbery’s team, took them by surprise in the first game of the second round of the playoffs. The Caps blew an early lead on April 6, and fans couldn’t help but fume at how the team’s passing looked worse than your sandcastle giving in to the sea. “Terrible” slammed the Caps loyalists on social media, while even NHL pundits have started discounting the team’s chance of winning the Cup.

But as they say, never say die! After all, Coach Carbery can confidently say that he works with some of the finest stars of the sport. But will that be enough to save the day for Game 4? Tell us your predictions on who will win the series in a comment below!