T.J. Oshie discusses his return from injury and what went wrong for the Capitals in their loss to the Jets: ‘Reality Check for Us’
The Capitals forward noted that the communication and quickness was missing in the 3-0 setback to Winnipeg.
T.J. Oshie made his long-awaited comeback from an upper-body injury that had kept him out for over three weeks, giving the Washington Capitals one bright spot in Monday’s depressing 3-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
Oshie, who suffered a non-contact injury against the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 21, said it was fantastic to be back, but it was a difficult outcome that needed time to recover.
“It’s always fantastic to go back on the rink. “Watching from upstairs isn’t as fun as being out there, so it’s good to be back,” Oshie told reporters in Winnipeg. “Clearly, not the performance we desired. I was quite rusty at first, and you kind of want to come back humming a little. Tough loss for the squad, but it was good to be out there.”
When it comes to what went wrong for the group in Monday’s defeat, Oshie said it was a matter of speed and being outworked throughout the course of the game, especially in the first.
“I believe we were just a little slow to encourage each other, not communicating as much. When you play a team like Winnipeg, where they pinch on everything, are ultra-aggressive on the forecheck, and aggressive in the zone, it’s difficult to make plays because they outnumber you and have such good team speed that once you turn the puck over, they’re back in our end pretty quickly,” Oshie said, adding, “It just got away from us.”
The 37-year-old noted that the game served as a “little reality check” for the team, which is currently on its longest road trip of the season and faces a difficult schedule that could determine the postseason race.
“There’s no use feeling sorry for ourselves…obviously the opponent here tonight was different than the last two that we faced, so maybe a little bit reality check for us that we gotta be going as a full 20-man unit,” Oshie said in a statement. “Simple, direct, outwork the other team first and foremost, and then let our skill and puck touches and support take over after that.”
