Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
(New York, NY) – The New York Rangers have advanced through to the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, leaving the demolished Washington Capitals in their wake after a 4-0 sweep.
The Blue Shirts barely broke a sweat, and the Caps could hardly get off the mat – in fact for the first time ever, star winger Alex Ovechkin was held scoreless in a playoff series.
At 38-years-old, Ovechkin is clearly winding down what’s been a brilliant Hall of Fame career. He says health wasn’t a concern, telling reporters he was good to go physically after Washington’s game four loss.
“It’s always tough to lose a series. We had pretty good chances. We just didn’t score. Our line didn’t score lots of goals. Blame me. I didn’t play well.”
During the Rangers 4-2 win on Sunday night to close out the series in DC, Ovechkin played just 15:26 – his sixth-lowest amount of ice time in a playoff game.
Of course, the Capitals had to grind and push down the stretch just to make the playoffs – securing the final spot in the regular season’s closing days.
Washington’s coach Spencer Carbery noted that fact following the series sweep at the hands of New York.
“I think that this year, leaning on (Ovechkin) down the stretch the second half of the year, he did an incredible job finding his game. We were so scoring challenged all season long. In the second half [after the trade deadline] it was even more of a challenge,” Carbery explained. “That was a lot, the second half of the year. Especially the last two weeks where every game felt like life and death for our team. I felt like that took a lot out of him physically and mentally heading into the playoffs.”
Carbery credited New York with holding his team in check on the power play. “(That) is such a big part of it, when it’s struggling and he’s not getting opportunities,” Carbery noted.
“They checked him so tightly over there that every time he gets the puck, he has a half second to make a play and there’s usually a stick and some shin pads on it. I think that played a major role for him in this series.”
For his part, Ovechkin doesn’t sound ready to give in to father time. He’s 41 goals away from tying Wayne Gretzky on the NHL all-time scoring list. Next season will be his 20th in the league.
“I hope I’m still going to get a couple more chances,” Ovechkin replied when pressed on whether he worries this will be his last trip to the playoffs.
And while the goal record is certainly a motivating factor for Ovechkin as he settles into another offseason and prepares for the coming campaign, he’s made it clear that’s not the only thing. He wants to play for another chance at the cup, and has made that clear – he’s not just hanging on because of the goal mark.
As for the Presidents’ Trophy winning Rangers, they will face the winner of the Hurricanes vs. Islanders – with Carolina in a commanding position in that series with a 3-1 lead.
