OPINION:
Somebody forgot to tell Alex Ovechkin that the Year of Alex was over, and it was time for the Washington Capitals to get back to real hockey — which I guess somehow did not include scoring goals.
As soon as Ovechkin scored career goal No. 895 more than two weeks ago to break Wayne Gretzky’s historic record, the narrative around the team, which had been struggling of late, was that it was time to put aside such distractions and prepare for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
That’s a pursuit, of course, that the Capitals have treated in their last five visits like they were making a visit to a malaria ward — getting in and getting out, quick.
Fortunately for Washington, Ovechkin knows no other way to play. That’s how he broke a record once seen as unbreakable.
The greatest goal scorer in the history of the National Hockey League had two of them Monday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first round — including his first playoff overtime score — to lead Washington to a 3-2 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens before a nervous crowd at Capital One Arena. The Capitals lead 1-0 in the best-of-seven series with Game 2 on Wednesday.
They were nervous because they’re afraid they’ve seen this movie before — a top-seeded Capitals squad losing to an eighth-seeded Canadiens team.
They were nervous because they had not seen a Washington playoff win since May 7, 2022. They were nervous because that glorious 2018 Stanley Cup championship gets further in the rear-view mirror.
With a 2-0 lead after two periods of manhandling Montreal, Washington began to wilt in the third period, giving up two scores, including the tying one with a little more than four minutes remaining by Nick Suzuki.
Just like that, the Capitals seemed to waste a strong opening act. “I thought the first period was one of the best first periods we played in a month,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said.
That’s because Ovechkin played like he was still chasing legends, putting Washington on the board first with a power-play goal with less than two minutes left in the first period. That was in between punishing Montreal players like Ray Lewis on skates.
“He was physical and set the tone,” Carbery said. “He was leading the charge and dragging guys into the fight.”
He was, at the age of 39, the difference between winning and losing for Washington in a postseason game. That hasn’t always been the case. After all, this was his first playoff overtime goal after playing in 44 overtime postseason contests. But we might be seeing an Ovechkin who is at his combined peak powers of scoring and wisdom.
“A goal is a goal,” Ovechkin told reporters. “It doesn’t matter … in the playoffs especially, it doesn’t matter who scores. I think it gives you confidence.”
I’m going to take a pronoun leap of faith here and believe Ovechkin wasn’t talking about us when he said “you.” I’m not sure he was talking about himself, either. Everybody else, maybe.
“It’s a privilege to be his teammate,” said Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson, who had 33 saves.
That’s not some goaltender talking in a documentary about the Alex Ovechkin era. That’s the guy who was in the net for Washington on Monday night.
It’s funny that Washington’s late-season lethargy — losing eight of their final 12 games — was somehow chalked up to a hangover from the Ovechkin march on Gretzky’s cherished record.
It’s not like they were dragging the old man across the finish line. This wasn’t Willie Mays tripping in the outfield running down fly balls.
Ovechkin finished the season with 44 goals, third in the league, and since he missed 16 games with a broken leg, I think it’s safe to say that he would have led the league for the 10th time in his 20-year career.
I know it defies our instincts about 39-year-old hockey players.
They aren’t typically the best goal scorers in the league and banging guys around in April like the featured bout in WrestleMania.
A distraction? The Year of Alex is how the Capitals — who surprised many this year with their 51 wins — got to this point. It is likely how they will continue.
• Catch Thom Loverro on “The Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
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