Arlington, go – Alex Ovechkin Made the history of hockey on Sunday, marking his 895th career objective to break the record of all time of Wayne Gretzky. Sunday celebrations marked the culmination of a prosecution of several decades which has reached a fever field this season, becoming one of the largest stories in sport.
But while Ovechkin was getting closer to history, the piece of capital stammered elsewhere, especially compared to their dominant assessment earlier in the year. Now that Ovechkin has reached the summit, the team will try to change speed with five games to play before the playoffs.
“It will be our biggest challenge,” said head coach Spencer Carbery on Wednesday, “coming out of such a unique and exciting experience celebrating this success, and now must reset completely mentally and focus on the task to be done to play well as a team and make sure that we put ourselves in the best position possible to play well in the game games.”
Capitals had insisted in recent weeks that their objective has remained on the victory of the matches, remaining the course they followed earlier in the season rather than trying to force the puck on the stick of Ovechkin. The next day, however, Carbery was ready to recognize that the record prosecution had had an impact on the objective of the team.
“I give our guys a little pass because of the circumstances surrounding the last 10 games,” he said. “A lot was going on. And guys, whether they want to admit or not, and I want to admit and recognize it or not, as much as I want to block it – as much as I mean: `No, we are strictly concentrated on Winnipeg jets, Minnesota Wild ”, whatever the opponent – it is impossible to block the record and what was going to happen inside the games.
“So, now that it has disappeared, now that he has reached this, it is important that we pay attention to certain things defensively that we have to get back inside our game because I have the impression that we have lost a little of that because we wanted to mark. Chances.
The latest series of Ovechkin’s goals to reach the record also came after the team has already won a place in the playoffs on March 20. With a comfortable advance in the Eastern Conference, the outcome of the remaining matches of the regular season would have little impact on their position as qualifying series, but the recent capital record still arouses concerns.
Since he won a place in the playoff series, the caps went 3-4-1 and ranked 27th in the league during this period. Two of these victories came against Boston’s Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks, and games against the Sabers of Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild and Buffalo gave the capital their second three -game loss sequence this season.
“I don’t think it’s good enough in a team,” said Tom Wilson about the recent game of the team. “I thought that in Minnesota, Winnipeg, we contributed, we played very good hockey matches, of the eliminatory type. And then I think that, as a group, we needed a little more in the past two weeks like a group and for our team game. Some fairly exciting games, however in there, but the fact of adults. We have to focus here and make sure that our underlying game is good in the future. »»
While Caps continued the opportunities for Ovechkin to score, their defense has taken a hit, especially since the start of their road trip in California on March 11. Washington granted an average of only 2.56 goals per game before this road trip, good for the third largest in the league. In their 13 games since, however, their 3.38 goals against the 24th NHL ranking; They granted three or more goals in eight consecutive competitions.
“I think we want to play a very good defense, try to see that this form of mid-season that we were a little ago and are just for the playoffs,” said Dylan Strome. “So I think it’s really in us and we played decent hockey, a bit like .500 hockey the last short time, so it’s time to do so and prepare for the playoffs.”
Marking six goals in his last five games, Ovechkin has exploded through the last stage of his record prosecution. This last blitz of goals could prove a gift for the capital, giving them a five game cushion before the start of the playoffs to adapt to their post-Record play style. This team will always be part of the story for what Ovechkin did on Sunday. But with this work now, the caps cannot lose sight of the work in front of them.
“I think it was a good timing,” said Wilson about the record match. “Obviously, the historical week, something that we will all remember forever. And (you) have a few days to really take the time to celebrate Ovi as a group and take everything.
“From there, we are going to have a good stretching element here to compose it, refocus and prepare for the playoffs. I think all this energy is good and that it has a kind of atmosphere of the playoffs when you walk these days, because of what o has done. It is a cool moment and refocus and make sure that we are ready to go for the most important moment, And make sure that we are ready to hit our Stride. “
Ovechkin, fresh out of one of the greatest achievements of his career, is ready for the challenge.
“I think we all understand that the regular season is one thing and everything that happened during the year is one thing, but in playoffs, it’s a different total season,” he said. “It is a different level of energy, a rhythm. So, yes, I think that for the moment, we have five games left and we just have to prepare for this time of the year and we must understand how we have to play.”
