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Photo credit: Francois Lacasse
The Washington Capitals’ final road game of the season was a demonstrable blowout. The Montreal Canadiens, purportedly a good hockey team, played like a troop (sorry, troupe) of clowns led by their porous ringleader Carey Price. The Habs got just one past Braden Holtby, and the Caps served wings and discount pizza to their loyal fans.
Caps beat Habs 5-1.
Ovechkin, Komarov, and some body parts of Backstrom during their stint with Dynamo. (Photo credit: HC Dynamo)
On Wednesday, Dynamo Moscow beat Evgeny Kuznetsov‘s Traktor Chelyabisnk to win the Gagarin Cup for the second straight year. After the win, some Russian media outlets reported that Alex Ovechkin‘s name will be engraved on the Cup as he played in more than half of the regular season games with Dynamo. Ovi also said he’s going to get a championship ring.
Today those same outlets, Sovetsky Sport particularly, pulled a CNN and denied their own report (and unpublished the original stories), claiming that Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Leo Komarov doesn’t fit the definition of “loaned” players. A loaned player in the KHL is a player who was sent down to a minor professional league like the VHL. Since their contracts were voided when the three went back to the NHL, the number of games played is irrelevant. Technically, Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Komarov are no longer part of Dynamo.
Dynamo forward Denis Kokarev celebrating the victory. (Photo credit: RIA Novosti/Alexey Filippov)
Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom‘s former KHL team, Dynamo Moscow, has beat Evgeny Kuznetsov’s Traktor Chelyabinsk 3-2 in overtime to secure a championship win in game 6 of the Gagarin Cup finals, taking the hardware home for the second straight year.
Despite a few good chances, Caps prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov, was held without a point. Kuznetsov had eleven points in 25 games during his team’s long playoff journey.
Back in Washington, Ovechkin and Backstrom shared their happiness via Twitter.
Photo credit: Greg Fiume
Alex Ovechkin is playing very well. He leads the league in goals, has tallied 18 times in his last 16 games, and is the single biggest reason the Washington Capitals are headed to the playoffs. We think he should win the Hart Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s most valuable player. Adam Oates, we now learn, agrees.
“I’m obviously very biased about that,” he told reporters after Washington’s 5-1 win on Tuesday, a game in which Ovechkin scored. “My answer would be yeah, absolutely. Obviously Sidney Crosby is another candidate for sure. He had such a scoring lead. But I think you’ve gotta factor in the fact that he’s missed a lot of games.”
Ovi seems happy, no? (Photo credit: Alex Brandon)
During the first few weeks of the season when the Caps were in dead freaking last, it seemed like RMNB couldn’t go a day without getting a poopy comment about Alex Ovechkin: Ovi’s washed up this, Ovi should be stripped of his captaincy that. Suffice to say, those comments have completely disappeared.
Ovi’s scored 18 times in his last 16 games, taken over the league lead in goals, and helped push the Capitals into first place in the Southeast division. On Tuesday against the Leafs, Ovechkin continued his amazing play, scoring once, putting five shots on net, and doing countless other little things that didn’t show up on the scoresheet.
Photo credit: Patrick McDermott
Looking to extend their season-high seven game win streak, the Washington Capitals hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night. In a match-up of possible first-round opponents, the Caps came off a shaky ending to their last win and played a game that was anything but against a tired Leafs team.
Jack Hillen scored (when doesn’t he?), Nicky got boarded, the Caps got mad, Erat got his first in red, the Brouwitzer a nice backhand shot was unleashed, Ovi had a scoar, and MoJo hacked one in. Caps smack Leafs 5-1.
Photo credit: @WashCaps
If you searched Alex Ovechkin‘s name on Twitter the afternoon of March 27th, you witnessed several Capitals fans freaking out publicly.
“I was just within 10 feet of Alex Ovechkin,” @ChiSportsLife said. “No big deal.”
That beautiful March day, Ovechkin filmed a commercial for Verizon Wireless, where the script called for the Russian Machine to approach random people walking by Verizon Center and start up a pick-up hockey game.
Tuesday, the commercial was finally released to YouTube – and it is awesome.
Alex Ovechkin has been scoring a lot of goals lately — 17 in his last 15 games — making him the NHL’s league leader. At the Capitals’ season-ticket holder party at Six Flags on Sunday, he proved that his touch transcends hockey. Ovi for Hart whatever trophies soccer players get!
Photo credit: Washington Capitals Instagram
Tonight, the Washington Capitals are holding their annual season ticket holder party at Six Flags America in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Over the years, the event has produced classic moments such as Alex Semin speaking English on video for the first time ever and the entire team riding a roller coaster. So far this evening, we have already been treated to a photo of Alex Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko posing just before they rode on the Superman roller coaster.
For those of you at the event tonight, tweet or email us your favorite photos from the event and we’ll publish our favorites as the night goes along. RMNB readers, put on your fedoras and get out your fancy mobile phones. You haves some investigative reporting to do for us!
A thumbs up from Kirilenko is more lucky than a swimming pool full of horseshoes and four-leaf clovers. (Photo credit: @mkirilenko)
Photo credit: Patrick McDermott
That washed-up Russian, Alex Ovechkin, has scored 17 goals in his last 15 games. During that span, the Washington Capitals are an astounding 12-2-1, which has taken them from the cellar of the Eastern Conference to the top of the Southeast Division. I guess we really did forget to flush. The goals have made Ovechkin a MVP candidate again for the first time in years and literally the happiest guy on the planet.
Saturday night against the Lightning, Ovechkin punctuated a huge first period for the Caps with a beautiful semi-breakaway goal. As the Lightning prepared for Ovi to shoot from the circles, the Great Eight surprised everybody on the ice and went to his backhand, beating Ben Bishop to the right post. It would be Washington’s third goal of the period and the team’s 20th shot.
Let’s just forget about the two periods after that.
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