Ovechkin's post game on the OT win and more

Ovechkin, Knuble and Fehr on the OT win over the Pens


Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin celebrates with teammates Mike Green, center, and Nicklas Backstrom, of Sweden, after scoring a hat-trick during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010


Eric Fehr: Ovi was crazy. He was awesome. He took this team on his back and carried us.

Great "gamer" from Tarik:

"You can tell when he's having one of his days, and when he's having one of his days," Coach Bruce Boudreau said of Ovechkin. "Days when I see that his recovery rate is unbelievable. He sits on the bench for 30 seconds and I know he wants to go again."

Since Ovechkin was named captain on Jan. 5, the two-time MVP has 16 goals and 19 assists and the Capitals have won 17 of 18. The winning streak is tied for the third longest in league history (with the 1929-30 Boston Bruins) and, with three games remaining before the Olympic break, puts them in position to tie the longest run in league history, set by the Penguins in 1993. The win also marked Washington's 10th straight on home ice, setting a franchise record.

And the reason the streaks are still alive was a red blur with a tinted visor and yellow skate laces.
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Crosby, Fleury on the OT loss

By Ben Giles, CSNwashington.com, "Ovechkin dominates Crosby":

During the first intermission of NBC’s marquee Sunday matchup of Capitals versus Penguins, announcer Mike Milbury declared that Canada’s favorite son, Sidney Crosby, had once again announced his dominance to the world.

“Listen, hey Ovie, I’m still you’re daddy,” Milbury said, imagining what Crosby was thinking.

Milbury spoke too soon, it would seem, as the Capitals rallied on Sunday to force overtime and overtake the Penguins, 5-4, extending their franchise record wins streak to 14.

Whether Crosby or Ovechkin proved the game’s better player? Let the box score decide.

Ovechkin recorded his first hat trick of the season, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Capitals played from behind the entire game after Crosby recorded two quick tallies in the first period to put the Penguins ahead 2-0.

Those two goals would be Crosby’s only contribution to the scoreboard. Crosby recorded no assists, and finished the game with a minus-1 rating.

“It’s always intense," Crosby said about the rivalry with Washington. "I think everyone always expects an emotional and intense game when these two teams play each other … It felt like a playoff atmosphere to me. Everyone wants to win these games. These two teams have quite the rivalry now. I think everyone tries to bring out their best here.”

Ovechkin finished with three goals on six shots, to go with three hits and one crucial assist. His third goal tied the game at four for Washington, completing a comeback from three goals down.

In overtime, during a 4-on-3 power play, it was Ovechkin’s shot that beat Marc-Andre Fleury’s glove hand and rang of the post, giving Mike Knuble a chance to poke in the rebound underneath the sprawled goaltender.

“It’s always nice to win," Ovechkin said after the game. "Especially when you are a little bit frustrated in the first [period]. Game [didn’t] go well for us right away. It’s nice to come back and win in OT especially.”

Ovechkin now leads the league with 42 goals and 86 points, and the Capitals have chance to tie the league record for consecutive games won at 17 before the team’s stars head to Vancouver for the Olympic.

By Svyato Rovenchuk of FTS Sports Writing, "Alexander Ovechkin: The Definition of Beast":

Dictionary.com defines a beast as any nonhuman animal, especially a large, four-footed mammal. I define it in two simple words, Alexander Ovechkin.

Alexander Ovechkin is one of the elite players in the NHL today. He’s had a rough year this season with a couple of short suspensions and a bad knee on knee collision that had the fans worried. However, he turned out alright and when he was finally done with those suspensions, he came back and kicked things right back into gear. He dominates the NHL and makes his opponents fear him and makes them believe they do not have good chances of winning (which they probably don’t).

First let’s start with the obvious. You just can’t keep this guy down now can you? Despite a few suspensions, Ovechkin has stormed back to take the league by storm.

Despite playing six to eight games less than the other men in the Top 10, Ovechkin is in first place when it comes to points. He is leading the league with 82 points and in second place, Henrik Sedin has 78. As for the rest, it’s not even worth counting them.

So let’s get this straight.

This guy has played so many less games compared to the rest and yet he’s leading them all with 82 points? What if he got those games back? How big would the gap be then?

I’m guessing huge.

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