3 least impressive players from Washington Capitals' 5-4 shootout loss to Utah Hockey Club feat. Logan Thompson

The Washington Capitals were defeated 5-4 in a shootout by the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday at Capital One Arena. The loss saw Washington's stellar record move to 36-11-8 (80 points), while Utah improved to 24-23-9 (57 points).

The Capitals had won their last two games heading into Sunday and were on a five-game point streak (3-0-2) overall. It's been a magical season in the nation's capital. The Caps hold a commanding 8-point lead atop the Eastern Conference standings. They weren't at their best on Sunday but salvaged a point after a strong pushback in the third period.

It was a wild first period. Utah shocked Washington, scoring two goals in the opening 1:42 of play courtesy of Josh Doan and Michael Carcone. The Caps came back with a power play marker from Tom Wilson to cut the lead in half. Not long after, Jack McBain reestablished that two-goal lead with a nice move to beat Logan Thompson.

Washington again pushed back with another power-play goal, this time from Pierre-Luc Dubois on the doorstep. Things calmed down during the final seven minutes of the frame, and Utah led 3-2 after the opening period of play.

The power play scoring continued into the second period as Dylan Guenther scored on the man advantage to make it 4-2. Washington was unable to solve Karel Vejmelka in the middle frame and the Hockey Club took the lead.

However, the top team in the Eastern Conference was far from finished. Alex Ovechkin found Dylan Strome on the backdoor early in the period to cut the lead to one goal with over 15 minutes remaining.

The Capitals continued their relentless push, finally breaking through on another great pass from Ovechkin, this time to Tom Wilson with 1:31 left in the third period. Washington and Utah were off to overtime in DC.

Three-on-three overtime saw back-and-forth action, but nobody solved the goaltenders. Off to the shootout we went. Nick Schmaltz started the scoring in the shootout with a nice move, elevating it past Thompson. That was all Utah needed, as Vejmelka stopped all three Washington shooters. Despite a valiant comeback effort, the Capitals fell 5-4 in a shootout to the Hockey Club.

The Washington Capitals will take a two-week break while the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament is played. They will be back in action on Saturday, February 22, in Pittsburgh, where they will face Sidney Crosby and the rival Penguins. The puck drops at 3 p.m. ET at PPG Paints Arena.

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3 least impressive players from the Washington Capitals 5-4 shootout loss to the Utah Hockey Club

#1. Logan Thompson

Logan Thompson has had a phenomenal season, but Sunday was a rare poor performance. The Caps' netminder allowed five goals on 27 shots.

He's allowed 12 goals in his last three games heading into the 4 Nations, so the break could serve him well. Despite that, he's still rocking a sparkling 24-2-5 record with a 2.23 goals-against average, a .921 save percentage and two shutouts on the campaign.

#2. Trevor Van Riemsdyk

Sunday wasn't the best game from Trevor Van Riemsdyk. The steady blueliner had no shots and had a -1 rating in just 14:56 minutes of ice time.

He was on the ice for multiple goals against as the Capitals struggled throughout the early portion of Sunday's loss. It's not too concerning as he's had a strong season with 15 points (15 assists) in 55 games to go with a +19 rating.

#3. Jakob Chychrun

Jakob Chychrun somewhat struggled against his former team on Sunday. The 26-year-old was held pointless, with five shots on goal in his 26:19 of ice time.

He committed some turnovers and had several shots blocked from the blue line. He's had a tremendous first season as a Cap, so there's nothing for fans to worry about.