Ovechkin scored 817 career NHL goals to help Washington beat Buffalo

Alexander Ovechkin returned to the Washington Capitals after a minor injury and marked two effective moves in the first game. The Russian sniper shut the mouth of journalists from North America, who the day before allowed them to make ridiculous accusations against the hockey player.

The final episode of the regular season is very difficult not only for the whole of “Washington”, but for Alexander Ovechkin personally. The Russian sniper found himself in unusual circumstances and had to miss six matches. Four for a well-known reason, but two for injury. The injuries that kept Ovechkin out of the games were minor for the Capitals forward throughout his long career. Therefore, it is more surprising to realize that in a month and a half the powerful captain of the “capital” was twice out of order for health reasons.

This has also been noticed in North America. For example, Curtis Rush, a veteran journalist who has written for several well-known publications in Canada and the United States, came up with an interesting but also ridiculous theory. Based on this, Ovechkin is allegedly artificially eliminating days off for himself, while his teammates are testing themselves in supposed back-to-back games – situations where a team can play two games in one day. So, on the night of March 15, Moscow time, “Washington” visited the “New York Rangers”, and on the night of March 16 (MSK), the “capital” had already met with the “Buffalo Sabers” on their site. Ovechkin missed the game in New York due to a lower body injury, but the captain was ready for battle with the Blades.

This description can be divided into two parts:

Today’s “Washington” and “Buffalo” match was significant if you look at it through the prism of these two points. Firstly, Alexander Ovechkin played as much as possible for the result of his team. In the middle of the first period, the Russian chose to play more shrewdly and somewhat more confidently, passing Dylan Strome instead of the stamped shot. Although he managed to hit the post at close range, he still brought it to the goal with the efforts of TJ Oshi.

And 10 minutes before the end of regular time, Ovechkin went to the penny and made a clear substitution after Trevor van Riemsdyk’s shot, minimizing the difference in score. This Ovi goal somehow turned the tide of the meeting and helped Caps make a comeback.

Second, Ovechkin, who spent the most time on the ice of all attackers by a margin, used a power move and fired five shots at the target. We remember that Alexander was 37 years old. And the personal records here are just an eye-catching decoration. Now Ovi and Gretzky share 77 goals, and the Russian player simultaneously beat Mike Gartner in home matches (402).

Another Russian star of the capitals cannot be ignored. Evgeny Kuznetsov, unexpectedly for himself, faced a crisis and failed to score a single point in the last six games in a row. Such a string of bullshit for a top-class striker like Kuzya. Evgeny last encountered this in 2015, when the Russian player went silent for nine consecutive matches in his second NHL season.

Today Kuznetsov interrupted an unpleasant streak and scored an important goal at the beginning of the third quarter. In this episode, the Russian did everything perfectly. Despite the not-so-optimal position of the puck, Yevgeny leaned down and shot right in the split second so that the defender didn’t cover him and the goalkeeper didn’t have time to react.

Kuznetsov also circled the success of the Capitals in a conflict. The Russian striker adheres to the principle “If something works, there is no need to invent and make changes.” His distinctive shooting performance in clashes brought success once again.