Capitals great Alex Ovechkin seeks ultimate prize to cap historic season
With record goalscorer Alex Ovechkin's name now underlined in the history books, the Washington Capitals will enter the postseason among the favorites to claim the NHL's ultimate prize when the Stanley Cup playoffs kick off on Saturday.
The 39-year-old Russian's so-called "Gr8 Chase" for the league's hallowed all-time scoring record — which was formerly held by Wayne Gretzky and once considered unbeatable — ended this month as Ovechkin recorded his 895th career NHL goal.
The race for the history books captivated fans and propelled the Capitals to the top of their division for the first time in five years, raising hopes that the king of D.C. hockey can add another jewel to his crown.
While the No. 1 seed in the East has underperformed recently, including losing 7-0 against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, the team that had the lion's share of the media spotlight this year can expect to hang on to the headlines a little longer.
"I'm optimistic about them, obviously, just because I know they're well-coached," ESPN broadcaster and former defenseman P.K. Subban told reporters this week.
"But it's also like, okay has this chase drawn too much out of them or has this raised their game to another level, and they're just kind of patiently waiting now to start (the) playoffs and ramp it back up again?
"They've been a team that whenever it's been called upon them to kind of step up and get things back on track, they do."
The Capitals closed out their regular season on the road with a 5-2 loss against Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, and will face the Montreal Canadiens in a best-of-seven first-round series.
Montreal is among five teams hoping to end the so-called "Canadian curse" this year and bring the Stanley Cup back to hockey's ancestral home for the first time since they last won it in 1993.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, who play the Ottawa Senators in the first round, and the Winnipeg Jets, who face the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference first round, have the best odds, while the Edmonton Oilers are out for revenge after last year's bitter disappointment.
The Oilers fought back from a 3-0 deficit against the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final a year ago, forcing an improbable Game 7, but lost in heartbreaking fashion in the decider.
The Oilers will play the Los Angeles Kings in the first round for the fourth year in a row.
"Winnipeg is a really good team with the best goalie (Connor Hellebuyck), and one of these years Toronto is going to punch through," said ESPN broadcaster Ray Ferraro, who spent nearly two decades in the NHL. "I don't know if it's this year, but they play a heck of a lot different than they did in the past. Those are two teams I don't think we should sleep on."
The Panthers begin their playoff campaign against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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