Photo: Team Russia
After the Washington Capitals‘ seven-game exit in the First Round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, captain Alex Ovechkin spoke with NHL reporter Igor Eronko of the Russian Sports express about it, his fight with Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechknikov in Game 3 of the series, and more.
The 33-year old said that the Capitals were motivated to win again after bringing the Stanley Cup home last season but “we lost games we had to win. We just gave the [Hurricanes] a chance to win. Stepped on a bad rake.”
On the Hurricanes’ chances to win the Stanley Cup this season, Ovechkin said “‘The NHL is too unpredictable. All the teams that were considered as contenders or finalists lost in the first round. It’s too difficult to predict something.”
He told Eronko that he does not regret fighting Svechnikov, a fellow Russian, in the Capitals’ 5-0 loss in Game 3 against the Hurricanes. Though he said, “But I think if I’m 19 I wouldn’t fight [such an opponent if I were him].”
Ovechkin will represent Russia in the 2019 IIHF World Championships in Bratislava and Košice, Slovakia, which will begin a week from Friday and run through Sunday, May 26. In the team’s first practice, he skated on the second-line with teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov and Florida Panthers forward Evgeni Dadonov.
Team Russia lines at today’s practice:
Gusev-Malkin-Kucherov
Ovi-Kuzy-Dadonov
Kaprizov-Anisimov-Grigorenko
Kovalchuk-Andronov-Plotnikov
Telegin
Sergachev-Nesterov
Orlov-Zaitsev
Khafizullin-Zub
Kiselevich-Yelesin
Vasilevskiy, Georgiev, Sorokin— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) May 3, 2019
By Harrison Brown
OV is right… Caps should have had that series… injuries didnt help. BUt Holtby played poorly.