On 11-game skid, Canucks focused on fixing 'culture,' host Capitals

The struggling Vancouver Canucks are not going to get any sympathy from the visiting Washington Capitals when the teams meet on Wednesday night.

While the Canucks have lost 11 straight games (0-9-2) and sit at the bottom of the NHL standings, the Capitals have lost three straight and are 2-5-0 in their past seven games.

Washington opened a season-long six-game road trip with a 5-2 loss at the league-leading Colorado Avalanche on Monday.

Ethen Frank had a goal and an assist and Jakob Chychrun scored for Washington. Charlie Lindgren made 39 saves for the Capitals, who trailed 3-2 entering the third period, but were unable to get the equalizer.

"Gets away from us late in the game there," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. "We just didn't do enough to make a final push there in the third period to try to generate a little bit more to get ourselves over the hump and have a few better looks to get that game at 3-3."

The Capitals have scored exactly two goals in four of their past five games -- all losses.

Chychrun scored his 18th goal of the season and has four points (three goals, one assist) in three games since missing two games because of an illness.

Frank pulled Washington within 3-2 when he scored his 11th goal of the season.

"We knew how good of a team they were going to be and knew what kind of game we needed to bring," Frank said. "I think if we can kind of get those mental mistakes out of our game, put a full 60 minutes together, we'd be hard to stop."

Vancouver, playing the second game of a season-long eight-game homestand, lost 4-3 to the New York Islanders Monday night.

Drew O'Connor pulled Vancouver within 4-3 during 6-on-5 play with 1:51 remaining, but the Canucks could not tie it. Evander Kane and Max Sasson also scored, and Kevin Lankinen made 28 saves.

The Canucks had a 2-1 second-period lead but could not hold it and trailed 3-2 after two.

"We get off our game, we get frustrated, we overcomplicate it, slam the gate, things like that. It's something we've got to get out of our culture," Canucks coach Adam Foote said. "It just gets us off our game slightly, off our game plan for just a little bit too long, and allows other teams to get just a little bit of energy and come back in the game."

Vancouver is 4-14-3 at home.

The Canucks traded Kiefer Sherwood to the San Jose Sharks on Monday for a second-round pick in the 2026 draft, a second-round pick in 2027 and defenseman Cole Clayton, who was sent to AHL affiliate Abbotsford. Sherwood led Vancouver with 17 goals.

"Given where things currently stand and the direction of our rebuild, we felt it was necessary to make a move like this as we continue to build our pipeline," Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said.

Goalie Logan Thompson will get the start for Washington. He is 3-2 with a 3.35 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage in six career games versus Vancouver. Lankinen is 2-0-1 with a 1.63 GAA and a .940 save percentage in three games against the Capitals.

Vancouver scored three first-period goals and held on for a 4-3 win at Washington on Oct. 19.

--Field Level Media