As far as games before a three-day holiday break go, the Washington Capitals' triumph over the Tampa Bay Lightning couldn't have gone much better.

“The next three days will feel real good,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz said after the team's 4-0 win Friday night. “We don't have to worry about thinking about our last loss, which coaches do, and enjoy the time off. We'll get back to work when we get back.”

When Washington returns to the ice Tuesday night for a game against the New York Islanders in Brooklyn, the Capitals will begin a crammed schedule that has them playing at least every other day until Jan.?17, at which point the team will finally have a two-day break. In that vein, this three-day break is designed to celebrate the holidays, but it's also a time for the Capitals to get some much-needed rest before they return.

“They get the three-day break, and they know they've got a lot of work ahead of them,” Trotz said. “I just tell them to enjoy the break. We've got a month of some heavy lifting to do.”

Said forward Tom Wilson: “It's a nice time of year and definitely something you look forward to, a little break in the schedule and a time we spend with family. It's hockey, hockey, hockey all the time, and you've got to keep playing. That's our job. There's not much of a break when it comes to the NHL level, but it's important to kind of take those two days.”

The Capitals and the Columbus Blue Jackets have played the fewest games (32) across the league, meaning the schedule will be busy for both teams. Washington enters the break in the first wild-card position with 44 points, six behind the Metropolitan Division-leading Blue Jackets, who are on a 12-game winning streak. The Capitals' first three games after the break are against division opponents, and they host Columbus on Jan. 5. All but one of Washington's next 12 games are within the Eastern Conference.

While the Capitals will be taking it easy during the break, they might not completely shut off for the full three days.

“It's a rest, and it's also staying sharp,” Jay Beagle said. “I'd be surprised if not all of us do a little something over the break, you know, on the 26th and get moving. But the 24th and 25th, you make sure you rest. Obviously, we've got a pretty tough schedule coming up in January.”