The Washington Capitals earned a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers on Monday night, evening their series at 1-1 before heading home to Washington for Game 3. Even though he scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal, Alex Ovechkin was a not totally positive tops of conversation. Japers' Rink explains why.
You may not have heard, but apparently Alex Ovechkin 's ice time was cut drastically throughout this game and he would finish with what has to be one of his lowest times of his career at just under fourteen minutes. Whether it was a plot by Dale Hunter to break the Rangers' groove, or a strategy to get Ovechkin away from his shadows, or simply just to a plan to use more defensively responsible players at even strength, we may never know.
It's not all bad news though. As Japers' points out, Ovechkin was very effective in his limited minutes, including that crucial goal. Maybe he was able to focus all of his efforts on a shorter time period and could make the most of his minutes. Maybe he was mad about the fewer minutes and played his tail off. Maybe it had nothing to do with the minutes and he just played a good game. We'll never know.
Stay tuned to this StoryStream for updates throughout the Capitals and Rangers Eastern Conference semifinal series. For more news and analysis on the Caps, visit Japers' Rink. For the opponent's perspective during the series, visit Blueshirt Banter. And for all your news on the NHL Playoffs, check out SB Nation's NHL hub.