Ovechkin said Washington doesn’t want to end the NHL season without a playoff
“The Great Pursuit counter may not be updated for weeks.” We got used to this rule during the first half of the NHL season. But as we got used to it, we lost the habit. Thanks to Alexander Ovechkin, who performs a crazy walk.
Three doubles in a week, a veteran record among “38+” players, 46 goals ahead of the great Gretzky, “Washington” in the playoff zone. All this is the rebirth of Ovi in the last days. One question: how?!
Ovechkin holds the 38+ record. No NHL veteran has ever scored so many goals in 5 games.
At the turn of January and February, Ovi had his (then) best stretch of the season, scoring in six straight games. And then – according to the usual scheme: goal – drought – goal – drought.
On March 2, Alexander took part in the destruction of Pittsburgh (6:0), after which he remained silent for 4 meetings. And on March 17, the Washington captain scored the game-winning goal against Vancouver. And since then, he has never stopped:
- March 19. He scored a double in the match against Calgary (5:2) and scored 20 goals in a regular season. For the 19th consecutive season!
- March 21st. The Caps burned Toronto (3:7), but Ovi resisted until the end. His double is proof of that.
- March 23. The Capitals made a crazy catch-up with Carolina (7:6, B), and the big No. 8 scored a goal + an assist.
- March 24. And again the Capitals won – 3:0 against Winnipeg. And again Ovechkin’s double!
Total – three doubles in 5 days, 8 goals in 5 games (an NHL record for players aged 38 and over), a reduced gap with the great Gretzky (46 goals at the eternal record) and enthusiastic shouts like “ HE IS BACK ! Especially after yesterday’s show.
“The puck flies into the goal, we manage to find ways to shoot”
Winnipeg is one of the main discoveries of the season. Not long ago, the Canadiens even led the Western Conference. Therefore, the fact that Washington suffered during the first 40 minutes of the match (11:20 shots on target) is not surprising.
But at the very beginning of the third period, a turning point occurred: Carlson converted the power play and opened the scoring. And just two minutes later, Ovi scored the Jets’ goal. But how! Alexander put his stick under the click of teammate McMichael – Conor caught his hook – the puck changed trajectory and flew into the net. The miracle goal was awarded to the Russian, although he did not even manage a shot. Everything was done for him.
At the end of the meeting, Ovechkin gracefully beat the goalkeeper and established the final score – 3:0. And after the siren, he became modest: “Where does this increase in performance come from? I don’t know. The puck flies into the goal, we manage to find ways to shoot.”
And yet: what happened?
There was motivation: old partners left, but in the playoffs we have to
“This season my thoughts went from ‘Ovi probably won’t catch Gretzky’ to ‘Damn, he’ll definitely hit 900.’ So happy for him. You can’t doubt a car that never breaks down. Sometimes she can “sneeze,” but the difference is she always works and finds a way,” is how RMNB website writer Ian Oland described the veteran’s game today. Probably the best description of the last week.
Just as a reminder: the striker spent the first half of the season (41 matches) with abnormally low statistics – 8 goals and a meager accuracy of 5.9%. The club itself, suspended well beyond the limits of the playoff zone, suffered from the captain’s broken goal.
The possible reasons for Alexander’s decline are too different. From personal tragedies (the death of my father in February 2023) to team-wide tragedies. And the team found itself in a serious crisis of ideas, and its former partner Niklas Backström suspended his career. And Evgeny Kuznetsov, with whom the veteran spent the last 10 years, turned to the player assistance program. And he left to restart in Carolina.
All these losses brought Ovechkin out of his state of apathy. Fortunately, for the best. The striker’s leadership courage and “no one but me” characteristic helped him get back on track, entering the top ten snipers of the season over the past three months .
The Captain is reborn – Washington is reborn. Not only has stability returned to the capital (7 wins in the last 10 matches), but also a place in the top 8 of the cup. The capital team advanced to the playoff zone thanks to today’s victory.
+1 motivation for Ovi.
“I don’t want to end the season in two weeks.”
There are three weeks left until the end of the NHL regular season. The fight for a place in the first round (Eastern Conference) is in full swing. But the Caps are still in a winning position:
- 8th place. Washington (79 points; 70 games)
- 9th place. Detroit (78 points; 71 games)
- 10th place. Islanders (75 points; 71 games)
- 11th place. New Jersey (74 points; 72 games)
- 12th place. Buffalo (73 points; 72 games)
To exceed the playoff limit, Ovi and Co. must beat seventh-ranked Philadelphia (81 points; 72 matches). To go even further, we must reduce the gap by 6 points with Tampa. And so on.
Washington still has 14 games to go all out. The next one, moreover, will take place with direct competitors from Detroit (March 27). Depending on its results, you can aim for higher seeding and fall back into the abyss. Ovi, of course, settles for option #1:
“You see how we play now, everyone feels confident, everyone understands the situation. This is what we fight for all season, from training camp onwards. I don’t want to end the season in two weeks, I want to continue playing.
Of course. Not playing for the Stanley Cup two years in a row is clearly too much. The “capital” team, accompanied by its captain, therefore tries to correct this injustice.
Source: KP
Emma is a professional author and journalist, working at 247 News Update. With years of experience, she brings a unique perspective and in-depth analysis to her work.
