Athletistic / Hockey. Last night in New York, at Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers played their first game after a short Christmas break. The Washington Capitals came to visit the Blueshirts. The Big Apple team really wanted to redeem itself from its defeat against the capital with a score of 0:4 in the match which took place in the American capital on the night of December 10.
In a game 18 days ago, Washington unexpectedly dried up the Rangers’ offense and was extremely creative up front. This is exactly what the Caps tried to repeat last night, by offering their usual defensive and tough tactics to their opponent, who was stronger “on paper”. This match allows Washington to hold on to the playoff zone and be at the top of the standings, despite the weak performance of its leaders – Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Interestingly, until the middle of the second half, the visitors managed to keep their goal locked and even lead the score, but Rangers stepped up at the right time and simply crushed the visitors’ defense . The match ended with the victory of the New Yorkers with a score of 5:1, allowing Peter Laviolette’s men to catch up with the Vancouver Canucks, who were leading in the NHL, and to strengthen their leadership in the Eastern Conference.
Photo source: NHL
Worth mentioning is Washington captain Alexander Ovechkin. The legendary Russian again received the maximum playing time among the attackers of his team (16 minutes 50 seconds), fired four shots at the goal of his compatriot Igor Shesterkin, but could not celebrate his goal for the seventh times this season. It should be noted that for the 17th consecutive game, Ovechkin failed to score in regulation time. On December 22, he scored against the Columbus Blue Jackets (3:2 in overtime), but it was in overtime during a Washington power play.
The inability to combine the capital’s new tactics with Alexander’s goalscoring appetites becomes more and more visible. Young Capitals coach Spencer Carbery is now forced to balance: he regularly tries to score points with a viscous tactical scheme, but his captain’s historic pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s record does not allow him to fully realize his ideas. So far, everything turns out to be absurd: Washington’s three lines play defensively and do not allow the opponent to play, and the fourth, which includes Ovechkin, on the contrary, tries to seal the enemy in its zone.
Carbery is constantly asked about Ovechkin and his lackluster performance. The Canadian, speaking about the Russian’s game, previously constantly repeated the same thing: “Everything will be fine, we are trying to help Ovi, soon everything will be better for him.” However, in recent interviews, Carbery is no longer so optimistic. Recently, the coach expressed concern that Ovechkin, on average, has far fewer real scoring chances than last season. This is despite the fact that Ovi does not miss playing time, constantly plays in the majority and searches for the best line partners throughout the season. In recent matches, Alexander plays with the currently strongest center forward in the capital, Dylan Strome, who is actually now the main engine of the team.
Photo source: NHL
Washington’s current roster leaves no chance for coaches to vary their tactics. “Capital” must “dry up” the opponent’s game and rely on the special teams of the majority and the skill of the attackers when playing on the counterattack. Carbery and his coaching staff do not and cannot have another effective strategy. Currently, Washington sits in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings, clinging to the playoff spot. Considering the roster, the departure of Backstrom, the decline of Ovechkin and Kuznetsov, and the team’s disastrous start, things could have been a lot worse for the Caps by now. So it’s possible to blame Carbery for Ovechkin’s poor performance, but it’s not necessary. After all, hockey is a team sport and the main success is measured not by the number of goals of your main star, but by the final position in the table and a successful play in the playoffs (the Oilers of Edmonton with Connor McDavid won’t let you lie).
Someone might think that Ovechkin should think about changing his club registration. However, Alexander’s departure from Washington was almost impossible. The NHL is not only about sports, but also about money. And Ovechkin is the idol of Moscow fans and one of the main media figures in the entire league. Now, Caps fans understand his performance issues and continue to believe that the race for Gretzky will soon continue with renewed vigor. And a 38-year-old veteran with a salary of $9.5 million per season isn’t such a tasty morsel for potential “buyers.”
During his long career, Ovechkin has repeatedly proven that nothing is impossible for him and that the limitations imposed on other hockey players do not apply to him. Therefore, Alexander is clearly not going to give up and will certainly continue the pursuit of Gretzky, dreaming of taking away the title of the best sniper in the history of the NHL from him. To score 66 goals (this is Wayne Gretzky’s lead over the Russian), Ovechkin not only has 50 more matches this season, but also two subsequent campaigns. The Great Eight’s contract with Washington is valid until the end of the 2025/2026 season.
Nikita Serbakov, Athletistic
Source: Sport
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
