Ovechkin ruined Washington in the NHL playoffs. And I received it harshly from the coach

In the first game of the series, Washington was unable to surprise the Rangers. The Capitals lost to Peter Laviolette’s team with a score of 1:4. And captain of the capital Alexander Ovechkin played a playoff match without shots on target for only the fourth time in his career.

And before the start of the second meeting of the confrontation with Washington, it was necessary to solve several problems at once. First, Caps head coach Spencer Carbery once again reminded his players that they don’t need to force things and play open hockey like the Rangers do. Carbury’s team also needed to prevent the opponent from playing in the majority and to cheer up Ovechkin, on whom the success of the club from the capital largely depends.

And in the second game, Washington managed to force the Rangers to fight! True, the Capitals did not last long. Ovechkin’s blunder led the Blue Shirts to victory.

The fatal delivery of the captain

Washington started the second match at Madison Square Garden actively and already in the first shifts created several dangerous chances near Igor Shesterkin’s goal. The Capitals’ strong start led to a goal in the sixth minute, with Connor McMichael finishing first and opening the scoring with a close-range shot.

After a few shifts, the Rangers managed to level the game and effectively respond to Washington. After winning the faceoff, Erik Gustafsson made a strong pass, and Vincent Trocheck perfectly placed the puck into the net.

The Blueshirts then gave the Capitals another opportunity to take the lead with an ejection. But the visiting special team was unable to surprise the opponent when they had a numerical advantage. But the Rangers felt more confident in uneven lineups. And in the 15th minute, the team from New York converted their first power play in the match. At some point, three capital players rolled into the corner of the court at once, Trocheck read the situation and made an amazing pass to the open Mika Zibanejad, who shot through Charlie Lindgren’s goal without resistance – 2:1.

At the end of the period, the Rangers already had the initiative and repeated the plot of the first meeting, when the team completely controlled the game. But after the break, Washington again ran forward and earned another majority. This time the “capital” team distinguished itself. At the same time, the goal turned out to be atypical for an extra play: Tom Wilson rushed into the zone at speed and crossed along the goal, and Dylan Strome crossed the far post – 2:2!

Washington forced the Rangers to fight, and there was still more than half the match ahead. However, the intrigue began to disappear in the middle of the second period. First, in the 33rd minute, Peter Laviolette’s team converted the majority, and then the turning point of the match occurred. The Capitals made a huge mistake when playing an extra and conceded a goal out of the blue: Ovechkin fiddled with the puck in the middle zone for too long, was unable to beat his opponent, made a turnover, and a few seconds later the Blueshirts were celebrating the goal at Lindgren’s goal. Even Carbury could not stand it and began to say something to his captain.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a Washington coach yell at Ovechkin like he did today,” ESPN insider Greg Wyszynski wrote on social media.

Alexander Ovechkin / Photo: © Danny Murphy / Icon Sportswire / imago-images.de / Global Look Press

The third period began with the confrontation between TJ Oshie and Panarin. The American hit his opponent in the face with his stick, but the judges missed the episode and didn’t give Oshi even two minutes. Panarin’s reaction was not long in coming. During the next Rangers attack, Artemy flew into the attacker at speed, knocking Oshie off his feet. The Washington hockey player received a severe blow and showed with all his appearance that he was in pain. The Capitals’ club doctor immediately appeared on the ice. At that moment, McMichael decided to take revenge on Panarin for his teammate, but a serious fight did not work out. The judges went to study the episode for the presence of a blow to the head. Having looked at the collision again, the referees decided that the Russian acted within the rules.

In the remaining time, Washington tried to save the match, and the guests even managed to win one goal back: in the 52nd minute, Wilson converted the majority. But the Capitals didn’t have enough to do more.

— We were much better than in the first game. We made four or five mistakes, maybe even a few more, that you shouldn’t make at this time of year. It’s a shame because the guys are trying and want to do everything right,” Washington head coach Spencer Carbery said after the game.

As a result, the Rangers won the second home match – 4:3 and took a 2-0 lead in the series. Now the confrontation is moving to Washington.