Athletistic / Hockey. During the 2023-2024 season, the NHL gave players a chance to breathe a little during the regular season. The All-Star break has been significantly lengthened (from four days to almost two weeks), allowing players who did not participate in All-Star weekend to take a mini-vacation. Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin took advantage of this opportunity and spent several days with his family in Dubai (UAE).

Washington’s previous match took place on January 26 (away defeat to the Dallas Stars – 4:5 OT), and the first after the break was scheduled for February 6 (North American time). It seemed that at that time the main news from the “capital” camp would be these very holidays of the Ovechkin family. However, the new addition to the Caps camp on February 5 came like a bolt from the blue. The team’s center forward, Evgeny Kuznetsov, took advantage of the NHL’s player assistance program and was out indefinitely.

This program helps players suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction, as well as those with mental health issues. The NHL, of course, will not say what exactly Kuznetsov’s problems are, but the words of Washington head coach Spencer Carbery may shed some light on this.

— Kuznetsov is in an NHL drug program. The NHL and League Players Association do not share many details with us, other than the very fact that our hockey player is in this program. All we have to do now is support Kuznetsov and his family and give him the helping hand he so badly needs.Carbery said in an interview with Russian Machine Never Breaks.

Photo source: NHL

Unfortunately, Kuznetsov has had problems with things other than hockey before. In 2019, cocaine was detected in his doping sample taken during the World Championships in Bratislava (Slovakia). Then the IIHF disqualified the Russian for four years, but after completing the NHL player assistance program for the first time, he continued to play in the North American league.

The situation with Kuznetsov was a new blow for Washington. The team is already going through difficult times, but they are haunted by some kind of bad luck. Already during the current season, Niklas Bäckström announced that he was suspending his career due to health problems. Thus, the “capital” team was left without two center forwards, who have huge salaries in their hands (for two the total amounts to almost $ 17 million). Under these conditions, Ovechkin bears even more responsibility. And this is despite the fact that Alexander himself is going through difficult times and has scored only 9 goals in half a season.

In this context, Washington had to play with the Montreal Canadiens. And the match started extremely badly for the capital. In the 14th minute, the visitors led with a score of 3:0 and had a huge advantage over the opponent. It must be recognized that the Washington players were able to find the strength within themselves and get to work. At the end of the match, the Caps will beat the Canadian team by almost one and a half times (39-26), but they will not be able to save the match. The match will end with the victory of the Tricolores with a score of 5:2. One small positive for Washington fans will be Alexander Ovechkin’s goal. The 38-year-old Russian will celebrate his birthday in his 45th match this season by scoring his 10th goal.

Alexander the Great spent 22 minutes 49 seconds on the ice (the longest time on the team among forwards) and will be tasked with fighting. Importantly, he closed the gap with Wayne Gretzky on the list of top snipers in NHL history to 62 goals. It is clear that Ovi has healed his injuries and regained his strength for the decisive part of the season. However, Washington is moving further and further from the playoff zone.

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The Capitals lost their fifth straight game and currently sit 12th in the Eastern Conference standings. Ovechkin and Co. are seven points behind the Philadelphia Flyers, eighth in the East. The likelihood of Washington’s second consecutive Stanley Cup non-appearance increases with each game.

It is now important for Washington to overcome all problems. The aging and struggling team has faced too many challenges, so getting the Capital to the playoffs would be a big miracle. As for Kuznetsov, it will be interesting to see how Evgeniy can get out of this situation. In the summer of 2023, he openly stated on several occasions that hockey no longer brought him as much pleasure as it once did. Kuznetsov’s contract with Washington is valid until the end of the 2024/2025 season, but almost no one will be surprised if he returns to Russia next summer and once again puts on the sweater of his native Traktor.

Nikita Serbakov, Athletistic


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