Carbery and Muse explain mistakes in Capitals’ 5–3 win

“You gotta stop the bleeding, and that’s what we just didn’t do,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said after the Capitals’ 5–3 home-opening win over Pittsburgh on October 7.

Asked how a 4–1 lead became 4–3 late in the second period, Carbery said repeated mistakes snowballed rather than being corrected after the first one. He described it as a learning experience for Washington’s younger players.

On the matchup against Sidney Crosby, he credited Pierre-Luc Dubois’ line, with Alex Tuch and Tom Wilson, for “creating turnovers on the forecheck” and sustaining offensive-zone pressure. Carbery said he pursued that matchup more aggressively than on some nights, sometimes holding the line out while waiting for Crosby’s next five-on-five shift.

“Those are the difference-making saves,” Carbery said when asked about Logan Thompson’s work after the lead narrowed.

Thompson made 27 saves in the 5–3 win over Pittsburgh, with Ryan Leonard’s third-period power-play goal restoring Washington’s two-goal margin.

Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse, asked how to fix the turnovers behind Washington’s goals, said “when you don’t have options, that’s what’s gonna happen.” He said teammates sometimes left too early or spread out too far to provide support and recover after a turnover.

Asked whether a shortened camp and preseason explained the lack of structure, Muse said Pittsburgh had shown better structure and support in other games and “we just have to be way more consistent at it.”