"The western swing of the Capitals' current five-game road trip was a microcosm of a frustrating season. The Caps escaped relatively unharmed despite a 1-2 record in games at Phoenix, Anaheim and San Jose last week. They maintained their position in the Eastern Conference playoff chase and even put some distance between themselves and ninth place, which represents the unthinkable: missing the Stanley Cup playoffs completely. But a pair of 3-2 losses to the Coyotes and Sharks also seemed like more of the same to a team that lost its scoring ability almost three months ago and has yet to recover it. With the NHL's trade deadline fast approaching on Feb.?28 and just 23 games remaining in the regular season, time is running out. "You wish you could do things [well] for 80 straight games," Caps coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters after practice in suburban Buffalo on Saturday afternoon. "It's something that we've got to fix. It seems like one thing goes when another one gets fixed." Washington (30-19-10, 70 points) can put more distance between itself and the nonplayoff teams on Sunday afternoon when it continues its road trip in Buffalo. But it is also the type of game the Caps will face often down the stretch -- a beatable opponent with a much tougher contest looming the following day." Read more: http://washingtonexaminer.com/sports/teams/capitals/2011/02/tough-stretch-continues
