Capitals' frustration: "Coming away empty-handed again is unacceptable"

Down 0-1 for the twelfth time

For the twelfth time in 18 games, the Danube City side fell behind 1-0. Konstantin Komarek restored parity, but just eleven seconds before the end of the first period, KAC were back in front.

The Capitals were the more active and fresher team over the following 40 minutes. However, a major defensive lapse, where defending was virtually abandoned, was punished by Simeon Schwinger to make it 3-1.

"Klagenfurt had one good chance in the second period and capitalized on it," Stewart said, wishing his squad showed the same ruthless efficiency.

Wir sind alle etwas frustriert, die Jungs brauchen Belohnung für ihre harte Arbeit. Es wird Zeit dafür.

Coach Mike Stewart

Although Scott Kosmachuk pulled one back in the final frame, the attacking efforts grew increasingly desperate. With an extra skater on the ice, "we had three big chances," Stewart said.

Yet once again, the Austro-Canadian was left with a sobering realization: "Scoring goals is our Achilles' heel right now." Over their current slump, the Capitals have registered 232 shots on goal, finding the back of the net just eleven times—a conversion rate of 4.74 percent.

Frustration mounts

On this evening, KAC netminder Florian Vorauer played a key role in ensuring the hosts didn't score more than twice. The Capitals' head coach tipped his hat: "He was outstanding today."

Still, the focus remains on his own team. "We're all a bit frustrated; the guys need to be rewarded for their hard work. It's about time," Stewart said, lamenting the lack of clinical finishing in front of the net.

On the other hand, Stewart was pleased with the defensive effort: "As a team, we defended well against a very good side like KAC. They only had 19 shots on goal, while we had 34. That speaks to the flow of the entire game, aside from the damn scoreboard."

Shades of 2023/24

None of that offers much comfort to the Capitals, who last dropped seven games in a row during the 2023/24 campaign. Back then, the two-time champions suffered nine straight defeats—and subsequently missed out on the pre-playoffs.

To avoid a repeat of that scenario, the Viennese need to hit their stride quickly. Otherwise, things could soon get very uncomfortable for coach Stewart as well.