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"Blame me. I didn't play well" - Alex Ovechkin addresses his worst career playoff series as Capitals get swept by Rangers in Round 1
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin took responsibility for the team's shortcomings in the first-round series sweep following a 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers in Game 4 of the playoffs at Capital One Arena on Sunday night.
Alex Ovechkin endured a tough series loss, as it was the first time in his 15-year NHL playoff career that he didn't record a point. His five shots on goal were also the lowest in his post-season career.
Ovechkin has 642 playoff career shots on goal, and despite being one of the top players in that bracket, he couldn't register a shot in Game 1 and Game 4 against the Rangers.
The lack of offensive production from Ovi contributed to one of the challenges the Capitals faced in the series. Alex Ovechkin spent 15:26 minutes of ice time in Game 4, which marked the sixth-lowest amount of ice time he spent in a playoff game.
In the post-game media interaction, Ovechkin took the blame for the team's performance, saying that their line struggled to provide any help on offense in the series.
The 38-year-old veteran owned up to it, admitting that he felt he didn't perform up to his usual standards to help the team secure the win (via ESPN's Greg Wyshynski):
"It's always tough to lose a series. We had pretty good chances. We just didn't score. Our line didn't score lots of goals," he said after a 4-2 Rangers win on Sunday night in Washington, D.C. "Blame me. I didn't play well."
Ovechkin finished the regular season by accumulating 65 points (31 goals and 34 assists) in 79 games. With 853 goals, he needs 42 more strikes to beat Wayne Gretzky's record.
Alex Ovechkin acknowledges team's resilience and unity despite facing challenges
The Washington Capitals face some tough challenges due to injuries and the trade deadline. Despite that, Alex Ovechkin acknowledged the team's resilience and unity displayed during the tough time.
Ovechkin is optimistic about the experience gained by the team this season and how it will benefit the Capitals in the future:
"I’m proud of this group of guys. We’ve been through lots of injuries, trade deadline, but we stick together and it showed the character of this group and that experience that the boys have this year, it’s going to help," Alex Ovechkin said (via The Hockey News).
The Capitals will head into the offseason with many questions surrounding the future of their veteran players.
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