Heavy-hitting Ovechkin a handful for Flyers
Alex Ovechkin is the most feared goal scorer in the NHL, and although he scored in Washington's 4-1 win on Saturday over the Flyers, he has made his biggest contribution in their playoff series by literally throwing his weight around.
Alex Ovechkin is the most feared goal scorer in the NHL, and although he scored in Washington's 4-1 win on Saturday over the Flyers, he has made his biggest contribution in their playoff series by literally throwing his weight around.
A major reason the Capitals hold a two-games-to-none lead in their best-of-seven series is that the 6-foot-3, 239-pound Ovechkin has been pounding the Flyers with some killer checks.
Ovechkin knocked Sean Couturier out of the series with a clean but hard hit Thursday in the Caps' opening, 2-0 win over the Flyers. On Saturday, he checked Brayden Schenn over the boards. Schenn said he had two options on that play and chose the wiser one.
"The option was to take the hit and try to throw my shoulder a little into him or turn up the ice and start skating and he was going to get all of me," Schenn said Sunday. "It didn't hurt at all and was one of those plays I happened to be over the boards."
Ovechkin had a team-high seven hits Saturday, four more than his next closest teammate. In Game 1, he tied for the team lead with four hits.
Even though he is as strong as a bull, it would make sense to put a body or two on Ovechkin instead of allowing him to do all the hitting. Of course, that is easier said than done.
"We've got to be hard on him, obviously within the rules," Schenn said. "Whether it is trying to get in his way, we want to be looking for the big hit on him, taking away his time and space."
Ovechkin scored his team's third goal Saturday on the power play when he was left wide open and one-timed a cross-ice feed from Nicklas Backstrom.
He has eight shots and one goal in the series, but he has been more of a menace with his hard checking.
"He has been pretty physical," Flyers Captain Claude Giroux said. "It is part of the playoffs, but it is not just one guy. We have to worry about the whole team."
Still, Ovechkin sets the tone.
"He is a hard-nosed player, and any chance he gets to hit, he is going to hit," Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said. "He is obviously different than the high-scoring guys who aren't physical."
The Flyers feel they have done a decent job of containing Ovechkin in five-on-five situations.
"We have done a good job of getting in the shooting lanes and not giving him a whole lot," Schenn said.
And the Flyers haven't allowed him, for the most part, to get a full head of steam on rushes.
"You have to limit his space," defenseman Mark Streit said.
A more physical approach would help. If the Flyers are to get back in this series, they will need to take fewer hits from the Caps left winger and provide more in return.
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