Sometimes in the playoffs, unsung heroes come up big. Andre Burakovsky enters tonight’s Game 6 with zero points in six postseason games. The latest slump, which included an upper-body injury in between, prompted coach Barry Trotz to list him as a healthy scratch during Saturday’s Game 5. 

“It’s definitely tough to jump in… When you’re out, you just want to get in and help the team and do what you’re good at: score goals and produce. What I realized is that it’s not that easy. I really thought I could jump in and just play like i did before I got injured,” Burakovsky told the media.

Burakovsky also talked about how tough it’s been mentally when things don’t go your way, whether it be a scoring slump or an injury. He said he plans to see a sports psychologist over the summer.

“I’ve always been really, really hard on myself. Ever since I was a kid I’ve always had high expectations with myself,” said Burakovsky. “I just think I have to get rid of that (bad thoughts) a little bit, not looking at the past just looking at the future. There’s always the next shift coming up so it’s kind of my problem. Whenever I do something bad, I think about it for a long time and that’s something i’m going to have to work on.

In the past when he’s been benched, Burakovsky has been known to respond with a goal. The biggest goal for his team Monday night is to win and keep their season alive and everybody has to step up.

Burakovsky looks to make a big impact on the bottom six tonight as he’ll be on the third line with Lars Eller and Brett Connolly. Burakovsky has a chance to be an unsung hero but even doing the little things to help the Capitals win would be greatly appreciated as the Caps look to force a Game 7.

By Michael Marzzacco
Follow @marswaggo

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