Forward pushes toward another Hart Trophy
The buzz continues more than a day after Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin produced another jaw-dropping goal in a career filled with them.
During the first period of Wednesday’s night’s 4-3 shootout win over Montreal, Ovechkin banked a pass off the boards to get around an oncoming defender, used his speed to undress another one and then somehow scored while sliding on his side in front of net.
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It was the play of the night and one of the best goals of the season, repeated endlessly on highlight shows across North America. That attention will only help as Ovechkin pushes for a second consecutive Hart Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s most valuable player.
Avalanche at CapitalsWhen » Friday, 7Where » Verizon CenterTV/Radio » CSN(HD)/1500 AM» Colorado (27-30-1, 55 points) is in a three-way tie for last place in the Western Conference yet still is just seven points from a playoff spot.» The Avalanche hope to have top center Paul Stastny back in the lineup. Stastny has missed seven weeks with a broken arm, but is practicing with the team. He has 31 points in 34 games.
“He’s the best player in the world. Alex just obliterates whoever plays against him,” said NBC analyst Pierre McGuire, who was in Verizon Center Wednesday night calling the Montreal game for Canadian sports network TSN. “He can take over a game with raw emotion. You have to go all the way back to [Montreal Canadiens Hall-of-Famer Maurice] ‘Rocket’ Richard to find a player like him.”
Only once in the last 21 years has an NHL player won consecutive Hart Trophies — Buffalo goalie Dominik Hasek in 1997 and 1998. But Ovechkin has 42 goals — eight more than any other player this season, making him a good bet to win another “Rocket” Richard Trophy for most goals and the favorite for another Hart. A league-high 20 of those goals have come in the third period. Ovechkin also has 75 points, trailing only Pittsburgh center and fellow Russian Evgeni Malkin, who has 82.
“I thought it was as amazing a goal as I’ve ever seen,” Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said after Wednesday’s game. “I don’t know if you know how hard it is to go from backwards to forwards and then beat a guy that’s skating after you. That’s a tremendous feat.”
