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Alex Ovechkin is back, and the Capitals sure are glad in 3-2 win over the Isles Alex Ovechkin is back, and the Capitals sure are glad in 3-2 win over the Isles
(35 minutes later)
Alex Ovechkin dropped to one knee and fist-pumped in celebration, a sight the Washington Capitals had badly missed. He had only been out for one game but, at times, they looked lost without him. With the game tied late in the third period Thursday night, he left little doubt he was back. Alex Ovechkin dropped to one knee and fist-pumped in celebration, a sight the Washington Capitals had badly missed. He had only been out for one game but, at times, they looked lost without him. With the game tied late in the third period Thursday night, he again showed why his presence in the lineup is paramount to the team’s success.
Nicklas Backstrom passed to him in the high slot and Ovechkin fired, beating goaltender Jaroslav Halak with 2 minutes 40 seconds left to lift the Capitals to a 3-2 win against the New York Islanders. The victory snapped a rare two-game losing skid and extended the Capitals’ sizeable lead on the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference with a 36-9-4 record. Nicklas Backstrom passed to him in the high slot and Ovechkin fired, beating goaltender Jaroslav Halak with 2 minutes and 40 seconds left to lift the Capitals to a 3-2 win against the New York Islanders. The victory snapped a rare two-game losing skid, and it marked the end of an odd stretch for the Capitals.
More significantly, they had their captain back after a one-game suspension for skipping the All-Star Game. The game-winner was Ovechkin’s 29th goal of the season. A blizzard had postponed two games, and coupled with the all-star break, Washington had to battle rust through lengthy idle stretches. Ovechkin had been suspended for one game because he chose to skip the all-star game to rest a lower-body injury. The result was two losses in a row over the course of 15 days. With one signature Ovechkin one-timer, things seemed back to normal.
With momentum seemingly in Washington’s favor, the Islanders didn’t go quietly. Josh Bailey flipped a puck up and over goaltender Braden Holtby, playing in his first game in more than a week. Holtby made 24 saves on a night there weren’t a lot of shots on goal for either team. The win extended the Capitals’ sizeable lead on the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference with a 36-9-4 record. Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie each had two points.
This was the kind of close game that was expected after a heated seven-game playoff series between the teams last season. The game had been tied at one goal apiece after the first period, the Capitals got a power play with 3:14 left in the second period. With 45 seconds left on the power play, Ovechkin was called for slashing, which turned it into a four-on-four. “It doesn’t feel like we’re a part of the league in a lot of ways,” Capitals Coach Barry Trotz said. “We haven’t played a lot of games; we’re used to playing on a more regular basis. We needed it. . . . We needed to feel how it is to be in a battle again and getting a win tonight was good.
On Tuesday against Florida, Washington was 0 for 8 on the power play and couldn’t capitalize on two five-on-three opportunities, in large part because Ovechkin wasn’t in the lineup. Twice, the Capitals took a penalty while on the power play to negate the man-advantage, and Capitals Coach Barry Trotz said that was something he didn’t want to see against the Islanders. “I know the guys feel much better about their game and about themselves than they did the last couple games. We’ve got some really good teams coming up, teams that are desperate to get into the playoffs, and we want to build our game. Our game slipped a little bit, some of it in our control and some not.”
Washington still managed to get on the board. Jason Chimera took a shot from the goal line, and it got through Halak. The puck rolled onto the blue paint, and Andre Burakovsky pressed his skates into the ice to get to it. Halak craned his head around, realizing the puck had gotten past him. As he turned and reached for it, however, Burakovsky had beaten him to the spot, swatting the puck into an empty net. With Ovechkin out of the lineup on Tuesday, the Capitals found themselves in a 4-0 hole to the Florida Panthers after two periods, booed as the second intermission horn sounded. But momentum seemed to be in Washington’s favor Thursday after Andre Burakovsky scored on a four-on-four to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead through 40 minutes.
With the goal, Burakovsky matched his total for all of last season (nine), and he extended a recent hot streak. After starting the season with nine points in his first 33 games, Burakovsky has 13 in his past 12, shining in an elevated role on the second line. The sequence started with a Jason Chimera shot from the goal line. It got through Halak, and the puck rolled onto the blue paint. Burakovsky pressed his skates into the ice to get to it as Halak craned his head around, realizing the puck was behind him. As he turned and reached for it, Burakovsky beat him to the spot, swatting the puck into an empty net. It marked the fourth straight game the 20-year-old winger has scored.
The 20-year-old had endured a sophomore slump, going 24 games without a goal. He worried the Capitals would reassign him to the American Hockey League, like they did for stints last season, but Trotz assured him he was up to stay. He wanted Burakovsky to work through his cold spell on his own. “It was probably harder to miss than to score,” Burakovsky said. “It was just laying there on the goal line. I just got a stick on it. It’s always nice when they’re just right there in front of you; this is kind of the best goals.”
Burakovsky started talking to mental toughness coach Eric Hoffberg on the phone once a week, with the intent to stop thinking so much. Burakovsky’s goal drought ended in late December, and a promotion from the fourth line to the second followed shortly after, giving him more ice time to shine beside more skilled linemates. The Islanders didn’t go quietly. Washington won the first matchup easily, a 4-1 win in Brooklyn, but this was the kind of close game that was expected after a heated seven-game playoff series between the teams last season. Josh Bailey flipped a puck up and over goaltender Braden Holtby, playing in his first game in more than a week, to tie the game 5 minutes and 38 seconds into the third period.
Holtby made 24 saves on a night there weren’t a lot of shots on goal for either team because it was so tight checking. The Capitals blocked 33 shots, a season high.
“After a tough loss against Florida, we had to bounce back and start winning the games,” Ovechkin said. “Huge response and a great job by us.”
Washington never had a reason to panic, but there was still a sense of urgency for the Capitals. Ovechkin’s part was obvious and necessary.
“He’s a goal-scorer, and that’s what we need him to do,” Holtby said. “He came through at the right time, and that’s the way our team is. Every guy has their role, and everyone seems to be doing it. That’s Ovi’s role, and he did it tonight.”