Alex Ovechkin just ended the season with one of the best efforts of his career.
Ovechkin entered the game needing a hat trick to hit 50 goals. He scored twice, but came up juuuuuuuuuuust short.
Video
2 down, 1 to go! @ovi8 #CapsDevils #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/BsrSaAwYwS
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 8, 2018
Ovechkin scored number 49 five minutes and eleven seconds into the third period. After gloving a bad clear by Stefan Noesen, Ovechkin ripped a shot that deflected into the net past Cory Schneider.
Check out this this hand-eye-coordination.
Ovi was pumped.
Despite chants in Capital One Arena of We Want 50!, Ovechkin was unable to hit the half-century mark despite ample shot attempts in the game’s final minutes. Barry Trotz let Ovechkin play every possible shift, but the Russian machine just could not get the puck to go in.
Alex Ovechkin had 18 shot attempts tonight total. The next closest Caps player had 5 (John Carlson and Michal Kempny). https://t.co/0xwZmKxbng
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) April 8, 2018
After the game, Ovechkin voiced his disappointment to NBC Sports Washington’s Al Koken.
Alex Ovechkin on not scoring 50 goals: “It sucks I didn’t do it.” pic.twitter.com/zYTgOXN02n
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) April 8, 2018
Ovechkin’s 49th goal was the game winner. The goals almost certainly have secured his seventh Rocket Richard Trophy.
The 87 points were the most Ovechkin’s scored in the NHL since the 2009-10 season, when he collected 109 as a 24-year-old.
