The Washington Capitals are one of only two NHL teams without a player in the 4 Nations Face-Off, but this could be beneficial for them

The Washington Capitals have made a strong mark in the NHL standings, winning 36 out of their first 54 games and losing only 11 in regulation. This performance has made them a team to keep an eye on this spring.

However, for the next two weeks, the Capitals won’t be playing.

They are the only team in the NHL without a player selected for the 4 Nations Face-Off international tournament, which includes teams from the U.S., Canada, Sweden, and Finland. They are one of only two teams without representation, after San Jose traded Mikael Granlund to Dallas. This could end up being a benefit for the Capitals as other Eastern Conference teams have several players in the tournament.

“I’m sure everyone that was kind of on the bubble there probably would have liked to have been a part of it,” said Washington winger Andrew Mangiapane. “But I think internally and selfishly, I guess, for us, it gives everyone a two-week break, almost, to recover. We’ve played a lot of games here so just to recover the body, little bumps and bruises, get the energy levels back up, and maybe that little extra rest maybe helps us down the stretch here and even in playoffs.”

Spencer Carbery, who is a favorite to be named coach of the year, sees the break as a positive. While teams like Florida, Carolina, and the New York Rangers have several players at the tournament, the Capitals have the only true break with no games between February 9-22.

“It comes at a good time with where we are in the schedule,” Carbery said. “And I think it just sets us up to give our entire group a good mental and physical reset. … We’re going to need every ounce of energy mentally and physically that we can find.”

Mangiapane is right to point out that players like defenseman John Carlson, goaltender Logan Thompson, and winger Tom Wilson would have liked to be part of the tournament. Carlson has played for the U.S. in the 2014 Sochi Olympics and logged more minutes than any player last season. Thompson’s statistics are better than those of the three goalies Canada picked, and Wilson brings a rare mix of size and skill to the table.

USA Hockey and Hockey Canada might regret not picking them, but for now, the Capitals are focused on the rest of the season.

“We’re focused on what we can control and get us best prepared, whether it’s rest or some work or whatever over the break and everybody’s going to be different in terms of that and get ready for the rest of the year,” Carlson said. “We’re going pretty good right now, and the last thing we want to do is take our foot off the gas.”

Washington has had a lot go right this season. Alex Ovechkin has scored 26 goals in 38 games despite playing through a broken left leg, all while chasing Wayne Gretzky’s career goal record. New players like Thompson, Mangiapane, center Pierre-Luc Dubois, and defenseman Jakob Chychrun have fit into the team seamlessly.

The Capitals have allowed the second-fewest goals on average and have the highest-ranked offense at even strength. They have won games by a wide range of scores, from 1-0 to 7-4.

“Our depth really plays a role in it,” Mangiapane said. “It’s not just one guy kind of doing it every game. I feel like it’s coming from all four lines, all D pairings and the goalies have been playing great. That’s what winning teams have.”

Some successful teams, like the Panthers, have many players competing in the 4 Nations tournament. They have played a lot of hockey recently after reaching the finals in back-to-back years. Coach Paul Maurice encourages his players to “play as hard as they can and take the entire experience in.” He believes that making a national team boosts a player’s confidence and pride, helping them perform better when they return to their team.

“When a guy went up and got to walk into that room with all the great players from his country, he came back and he viewed himself differently,” Maurice said. “We’re not going to see any fatigue from these players. I think it’s a huge boost to the confidence, speed. They view themselves differently. Now, they’re part of the best in the league.”

The Capitals don’t have a player in the top 30 for scoring, and a couple of their best players, Ovechkin and 22-goal scorer Aliaksei Protas, are from countries not involved in the tournament. Defenseman Martin Fehervary, if healthy, will likely play for Slovakia in Milan.

For now, the team’s focus is on getting through this break from hockey. Carlson knows there’s no perfect way to handle it.

“Just take care of yourself,” the 35-year-old veteran said. “Mentally, it’s a nice break. I think it’s most useful, probably, for that, unless you’re going through an injury or something like that and that time would be huge. But just the day-to-day mental load that we all have in here, it’s nice to get away from it, get away from the meetings and the constant pressure of it all.”

When the season starts again, the Capitals will play 27 games in 55 days, hoping to prepare for the playoffs. They haven’t won a playoff series since their Stanley Cup victory in 2018, and they are determined to change that.

“It’s going to be a grind coming down the stretch,” Carbery said. “We know that, and the way that we have to play, it’s going to be taxing and it’s going to be one of the hardest things these guys do is playing and hopefully playing for a long, long time into the spring.”