It’s no longer a matter of time. It’s no longer inevitable.
Alex Ovechkin has 60 minutes to do what he’s been doing his entire life, or his bounce-back season will just become the latest in a long line of early exits from the playoffs.
Despite a game-high five shots, the superstar wing was held without a goal for the fifth straight game in the Capitals’ 1-0 loss to the Rangers in Game 6 of the opening-round series at Madison Square Garden.
Heading into tonight’s Game 7 in Washington with a series-high 29 shots, Ovechkin’s current scoreless stretch is his longest streak of offensive futility through 57 career playoff games.
“It is what it is, there’s nothing you can do,” he said. “You’re not gonna cry. It’s not over. [Tonight] is huge, so we’ll see.”
Ovechkin had not gone two games without a goal since mid-March, having totaled 23 goals in the final 23 games of the regular season.
The 6-foot-2 sparkplug started the playoffs in similar fashion, scoring the Capitals’ first goal of the series, in the second period of Game 1, and adding an assist in Game 2. But 16 full periods later, Ovechkin, who first had trouble shaking off the shadows of Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi, now can’t seem to figure out the Rangers’ riddle in net — Henrik Lundqvist.
Ovechkin, who had 10 goals in 19 playoff games against Lundqvist and the Rangers before this series, has only converted on 8.4 percent of his 119 shots against Lundqvist in his postseason career, which ranks as his second-worst percentage against any team he has faced at least 10 times in his career.
Ovechkin had several good shots yesterday and wasn’t upset with his offense. He was just impressed with his opponent.
“What frustration? We didn’t lose the series,” Ovechkin said. “He’s a great goalie and we had chances we created, and we just have to do the same thing [tonight]. Lundqvist played unbelievable.”
Ovechkin was still active, a physical force who provided one especially devastating hit on Girardi and diversified his efforts by hitting the ice to block two consecutive shots from McDonagh in the first period.
After being denied on a game-high nine shots in Game 5, Ovechkin again found ample opportunities, but Lundqvist was a brick wall crumpling a Ferrari.
Moments after Derick Brassard broke the scoreless tie with a goal midway through the second period, Ovechkin nearly quieted the crazed crowd with a move to the net on which he seemed to sidestep Lundqvist in sight of an open net. But the Rangers goalie managed to force the Capitals star to go around the reach of his stick, which forced Ovechkin’s backhand wide.
“I just missed the net unfortunately,” Ovechkin said. “In that position, you have to make a decision quickly and I think I made the right one, but I missed it.
“Nothing big happened,” Ovechkin said. “They bounced back, so we are going to play in our building. It’s going to be good.”
Or, it’s going to be over.