For Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, this season was a season of redemption. After all, in the 2023-24 season, the Caps were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. And Ovechkin? Many thought that age had finally caught up to the Great 8. Midway through the season, he was on pace to finish the season with the astonishingly paltry number of 16 goals. Of course, he did turn things around to end with 31, but that was still the second-lowest goal tally of his career (the lowest being the 2020-21 season, but don’t forget that that year was shortened because of Covid restrictions). But then, defying all odds, he and the Capitals came roaring back this year, breaking that 894-goal record, finishing as the second-best team in the league, and the team with the second-highest goal tally. And yet, the Capitals aren’t the favorites in their series against the Carolina Hurricanes – a fact that ESPN NHL analyst Steve Levy just can’t get behind.
Despite the Caps finishing the regular season with the top seed in both the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference, it’s the Hurricanes leading Round 2 with 3-1 now. After all, what followed after Game 4’s 5–2 result at Lenovo Centre underscored the gap between the two. Were the Hurricanes capitalizing on key transitions and Washington just failing to find answers at even strength or on the power play? Well, the results indeed raised a lot of concerns. But hey, the conversations didn’t surround the Caps’ playoff slump or point solely to their ice struggles but instead focused on the perception of how they are unfairly underestimated!
It was a talking point that was brought up on The Pat McAfee Show, where Levy made an appearance. It was pointed out that the series odds heavily favored Carolina, even before the series began, despite the fact that the Capitals had a better regular season showing. Levy’s take on the matter? “I don’t get it,” he began. “It’s a total lack of respect for the Capitals, who had a brilliant regular season. Now, of course, Carolina’s winning. Carolina has, you know, question marks in goal always. And by the way, they had Mikko Rantanen, and they’re the team that moved him last because they didn’t think they could resign him long term. So, I mean, think about that for a second.”
And when you put it like that, it certainly raises some question marks about Carolina’s status as the stats darlings. Levy then pointed out how unreliable their goaltending can be. Because while Frederik Andersen tops the leaderboards with his 1.41 GAA and .935 save percentage, his injury record is a bit more streaky. “Carolina has the most reliable yet unreliable goaltender in these playoffs, and that’s Freddie Andersen,” said Levy.
If he plays, if he’s healthy, he’s great! But it there always seems to be a bump in the road for whatever reason. He gets banged up or can’t go and I can’t explain it, but when he when he’s good, when he’s in there, he’s unbelievable. And you know he playoff shutouts all the time. And he’s shut down Washington now and Alex Ovechkin—they can’t get anything going, five-on-five, power play.”
Credits: Instagram / @canes
All this to say that Carolina isn’t just some team; they’re genuine contenders. Levy was more than willing to give them their flowers, but at the same time, he felt that the Capitals weren’t exactly getting their due. “So Carolina’s amazing; their story, their style, guys, is so different from everybody else. They just shoot the puck from everywhere. They are a volume-shooting team in the NHL, and they forecheck like crazy, and they have one of the few, you know, really strong home-ice advantages, and that’s it. But Washington is getting no respect.”
But despite Steve Levy’s words of support, the fact of the matter remains that Andersen looks like he’s in top form, having just stopped 19 shots in their commanding 5-2 victory in game 4, despite his minor injury concern in round 1. Although he’s had recurring health problems in the past, he’s been a wall between the pipes for the Hurricanes this NHL postseason. And although Levy thinks it’s disrespect, the other fact of the matter remains that the Capitals simply don’t look like they are playing at peak performance.
Things still look off for Alex Ovechkin and Capitals after their NHL regular season heroics
Despite the support trickling in, the situation is still grim for the Capitals. While making the historic chase and even scoring that one goal, helping him surpass Mario Lemieux in playoff goals, let’s admit that his performance for Washington isn’t nearly enough to shift the momentum of this NHL series. Especially when battling against the Hurricanes’ high-pressure play and volume shooting. And while many believe and think it’s true that Washington’s playoff hopes are fading faster than before now.
And the frustration was evident when the head coach, Spencer Carbery, stepped in to address the same. “I mean, we’re giving ourselves some opportunities. We’re just not executing, making the play, whatever you want to call it,” he clearly stated while acknowledging how Carolina has been quick to capitalize on the mistakes his squad has made. Despite Washington showing glimpses of potential in the start, they are struggling to sustain it now. And that made him speak further, “We’ll regroup, and we’ll get ready for game two,” with hopes of optimism. But with losing three now, are there any chances of prevailing?
Because towards the end, even with support from analysts coming, the team is finding itself on the brink. Steve Levy did recognize it while offering a momentary morale lift, but hey, the numbers, execution, and momentum all lean heavily in Carolina’s favor, right? Hence, to say that the Capitals must find a way to break through the Canes’ smothering style and relentless pace as soon as possible to make a comeback and still reserve their space in the final race.
The post “Lack of Respect”: Alex Ovechkin Finds Support at Pat McAfee Show as Carolina-Capitals Shock NHL World appeared first on EssentiallySports.
