Alexander Ovechkin may have finally found an opponent he can’t beat – himself. Two weeks after his return from an upper body injury, the Russian superstar knocked himself out of Monday’s game against Carolina with a knee-to-knee hit that can be classified as nothing less than pure stupidity. Part of Ovechkin’s appeal to fans around the league is the reckless abandon with which he plays, and that, coupled with his talent, makes him the most exciting player on the ice at any time.
Near the 8-minute mark of the first period, Ovechkin ran Carolina defenseman Tim Gleason as he attempted to lug the puck out of the zone. Gleason made a quick move to side step the Russian winger, and Ovechkin hung his knee out in a blatant legcheck that left both players sprawling on the ice. Ironically, as Ovie was being helped off the ice, he was handed a five minute penalty and game misconduct. While the Caps wait to find out his status, they should also be expecting a call from the league, there should absolutely be a suspension of some sort handed down for the flashy winger. Just a few weeks ago, we saw Montreal enforcer get a five game leave of absence for his leg check on Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall. There can be no double standard for superstars in the NHL – the game is too fast and too physical for anyone to be allowed to bend the rules.
Without Ovechkin, the Caps still managed to handle the league-worst Hurricanes. The Canes led for all of a minute and a half in the first period after Joe Corvo scored on an early powerplay, but it was all down hill from there. Ovechkin got an assist on Nick Backstrom’s first goal of the game before he injured his knee, extending his current point streak to 10 games, and giving him a total of 29 points in 20 games this year. Eric Fehr scored his 4th goal in the last 3 games late in the first, assisted by Backstrom, who now has 21 assists on the year. Fehr returned the favor in the 2nd, assisting on Backstrom’s 6th goal of the season, which turned out to be the game winner. Matt Cullen scored the lone goal of the 3rd period with 15 seconds left to play, after Carolina pulled their goalie. Unfortunately, as has been the case in just about every game for the Canes this season, it was too little, too late.
Both teams have a couple of days off before they play again. Washington hosts Florida on Thursday, while Carolina hosts Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, giving them a whole week to continue to lose ground in a season that already appears to have slipped away from them.