It took the Caps about half the game to get oriented, what with 3 new defensemen on the ice. Sandin apparently made quite a difference the last 30 minutes.
But Anaheim and San Jose are two of the least competent teams in the league. Los Angeles tomorrow is a few steps up, so we'll see what happens. For that matter, the following two games are against NJ and the NYI. We will know more about the results of the deadline at the end of this week than we do now.
Interestingly, when Carlson returns, all of a sudden the defensive roster looks pretty full:
Carlson
Fehervary
Jensen
Sandin
Alexeyev
TVR
Carlsson (who has had previous NHL experience)
Iorio (only 20; likely needs more seasoning in Hershey, but you never know)
and this is without counting Irvin, who may not be resigned.