It’s 9:30 on a Saturday night and the favorites to win the NHL’s Eastern Conference hardly look the part, having just surrendered eight goals in a lopsided loss at Philadelphia.
Media types stream into the Washington Capitals’ locker room at Wells Fargo Center looking for answers. The most sought-after player? That would be defenseman John Carlson.
Carlson, who grew up in Colonia, N.J., can be counted on to analyze what went wrong in succinct and honest fashion. And that says a lot about his role with this team, which has seven players on the roster earning more money than he does but none who earn more respect from his teammates.
No doubt he’s a leader on defense and, with the recent loss of veteran Matt Niskanen to long-term injury, the 27-year-old Carlson might be considered the go-to guy for spokesperson on the back line.