The Washington Capitals sit first in the NHL with 95 points, but are currently mirred in a four-game losing streak.

The team completed their California road trip with an 0-3 record on Sunday night and are facing an adversity that has been rare for a team with just 17 losses this season.

"I got a lot of trust in our leadership and our group," Capitals head coach Barry Trotz said Sunday. "They're just going through a dry spell. We're going through a little bit of a tough time here. Adversity's a great teacher, you find out a lot about the guy next to you, you find out a lot about the group - and we haven't had a lot in last couple of years.

"I had to ask someone 'when's the last time we lost four straight?' I mean it's been a couple of years. This group has been very good. You have to go through things to be better, and this is gonna make us better, it's not going to make us worse."

The Capitals went through a three-game losing streak in December, put picked up a point in that stretch. They've been outscored 17-8 over the past four games and now own just a single point lead over the Penguins in the Metropolitan Division.

"I think this whole trip will identify to us areas that we can be better and those areas, we'll get through it. Right now, goals aren't coming easy for a few guys. We went through a stretch where everybody was feeling it and everybody was putting points on the board and right now, there's not a lot of guys that are putting points on the board. We've got too many guys that are dry right now, as a group, so we have to work through it. If we're not scoring we're gonna have to a play a little tighter game, we'll have to stay out of the box."

Alex Ovechkin, the team's leader in goals at 27, is currently in the midst of a 10-game scoring slump. 

"Obviously, we don't remember when we've lost four in a row - and that's a good thing," Ovechkin said after Sunday's loss. "It's nice it's happening right now, before the playoffs, rather than during the playoffs. Obviously, for me, it's a little bit frustrating because the puck don't go in and you just maybe wait for something to happen or a miracle or something. You just have to work hard and fight through it."

The Capitals return home to host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. The Wild lead the Western Conference with 92 points.