Alexander Ovechkin returns to Washington Capitals after slight damage and in the first match was marked by two effective actions. A Russian sniper silenced journalists from North America, who the day before allowed themselves to express ridiculous accusations against the hockey player.
The final segment of the regular season is very difficult not only for the entire “Washington”, but personally for Alexander Ovechkin. The Russian sniper found himself in unusual conditions and was forced to miss six matches. Four of them for a well-known cause, but two more due to injuries. Damage, because of which Ovechkin cannot take part in the games, the Capitals forward has received negligible throughout his long career. That is why it is more surprising to realize that within a month and a half the strong captain of the «capital» was out of action for health reasons twice.
This has also been noticed in North America. An experienced journalist, Curtis Rush, who has published in many well-known publications in Canada and the United States, for example, put forward an interesting, but at the same time ridiculous theory. Proceeding from it, Ovechkin allegedly artificially knocks out days off for himself, while his teammates test themselves in the so-called «back-to-back» games — situations where a team can play two matches within one day. So, on the night of March 15, Moscow time, “Washington” visited the “New York Rangers”, and on the night of March 16 (MSK), the “capital” already met with the “Buffalo Sabers” at their site. Ovechkin missed the game in New York due to a lower body injury, but the captain was ready for the battle with the Blades. is interested in the victory of the team. He saves himself only for the sake of chasing Wayne Gretzky's record,» the journalist wrote on his Twitter.
This statement should be divided into two components:
Today's match, “Washington” with “Buffalo” turned out to be significant, if you look at it through the prism of these two points. Firstly, Alexander Ovechkin played as much as possible for the result for his team. In the middle of the first period, instead of the branded shot, the Russian preferred to play more cunningly and to some extent more reliably, passing Dylan Strome. Although he managed to hit the post from close range, he still brought it to the goal with the efforts of TJ Oshi.
And 10 minutes before the end of normal time, Ovechkin himself went to the penny and clearly played on the substitution after Trevor van Riemsdyk's throw, reducing the gap in the score to a minimum. Ovi's goal somehow turned the tide of the game and helped the Caps make a comeback.
Secondly, Ovechkin spent the longest time on the ice by a lead, using one power move and hitting five shots on target. gate. Alexander, we recall, is 37 years old. And personal records here are just an eye-pleasing decoration. Now Ovi and Gretzky share 77 goals, and the Russian himself has simultaneously surpassed Mike Gartner in goals in home games (402).
Hidden Hero Another Russian star of the Capitals cannot be ignored. Evgeny Kuznetsov unexpectedly faced a crisis and has not scored a single point in the last six matches in a row. For such a top-class center forward like Kuzya, such a series is nonsense. The last time Evgeny faced this was back in 2015, when the Russian, during his second NHL season in his career, was silent for nine games in a row.
Today, Kuznetsov interrupted an unpleasant series and scored an important goal at the beginning of the third period. In this episode, the Russian did everything perfectly. Despite not the most convenient location of the puck, Evgeniy bent over and delivered the shot in exactly that split second so that the defender did not cover him and the goalkeeper did not have time to react. Kuznetsov also circled the success of the Capitals in the shootout. The Russian striker adheres to the principle «If something works, then there is no need to invent and make changes.» His trademark shooting performance in the shootout brought success again.