Textured skating: will Ovechkin's Washington be able to reach the NHL playoffs

Alexander Ovechkin's Washington is experiencing serious personnel losses, but continues to fight for a place in the playoffs. Spencer Carbery's team won two matches in a row — against Detroit and Carolina, having rehabilitated themselves for an unsuccessful tour of the West Coast (four defeats in five matches). Plus, the team can get a boost in the person of Artemy Panarin.

They went from 0:3

Before the game against Carolina on February 1, Washington was immediately left without two main goalkeepers. Logan Thompson was injured in the match against Seattle, and in the last meeting with Detroit, second goalkeeper Charlie Lindgren was injured. Despite this, the American played it to the end and even brought his team victory in a shootout.

Clay Stevenson, a 26-year-old Canadian, played against Carolina in the Capitals' goal. He has played only one NHL game in his career. This was his second game. And it didn't start in the best way: already in the first period, the Canadian conceded two goals after 12 shots. However, the defenders are more to blame for these goals. At first, Mark Jankowski found himself completely alone on a dime. Then the most experienced John Carlson presented the puck to Sebastian Aho right at his own goal. At the beginning of the second period, Stevenson himself brought it in, missing a direct shot by Shane Gostisber from the corner of the court.

The score was 3-0, and it seemed that Washington did not have a single chance against one of the leaders of the conference. The Capitals threw a lot at Frederik Andersen's goal, but it didn't lead to anything. But in the Capitals zone, a fire started almost during every Carolina attack.

But suddenly everything changed. Only a week ago, Hendrik Lapierre broke the longest goalless streak in the NHL, which numbered 90 matches. He then scored his second goal of the season. A little later, Dylan Strome scored, reducing Washington's lead to just one goal.

In the third period, the Capitals continued to push, and this led to a result. Defenseman Jacob Chikran equalized with a pass from Alexei Protas seven minutes before the siren and sent the game into overtime. And already there, Washington completed the comeback with a goal from Justin Surdif.

—The matches against Detroit and Carolina were the most important for us this season," said Tom Wilson, the most productive player of the capital club this season. — If we hadn't fought them to the end, it would have been a very disturbing call. In the match against Seattle, we were knocked out on fifth points (defeat 5:1). We had to react, and I'm glad we managed to win. I hope that after this we will play better and extend the winning streak.

Skating and labor: Why Kucherov is the best hockey player in Tampa's history

And in what ways is he already superior to Alexander Ovechkin

Waiting for Artemy

Alexander Ovechkin left the court without points in the match with Carolina. In 18 minutes on the ice, he was remembered only for his shooting activity: out of eight attempts, only three reached the goal. In the last ten matches, the Washington captain has scored only two goals. There aren't many assists either: there are four of them in this segment.

But even problems with the performance of the best sniper in the history of the league do not prevent the Capitals from fighting for entry into the playoffs. After the victory over Carolina, the gap from third place in the division was reduced to four points. Only the Islanders, who occupy this place, have played two fewer matches. And these teams have a face-to-face meeting ahead.

Artemiy Panarin can become a powerful reinforcement for Washington. The Capitals are among the teams negotiating a possible trade of the Russian striker from the Rangers, RMNB reports, citing insider Elliot Friedman. According to the source, the Capitals are ready to consider only deals that include the signing of a new contract with Panarin. The insider noted that the club is not interested in bringing in a player only at the end of the season without a new agreement.

Friedman stressed that the agent and Panarin himself prefer to have a new contractual agreement as part of the exchange, and names an estimated amount of $50 million. According to the expert, this is a key factor for the applicant teams, since many clubs are thinking about an exchange only taking into account the subsequent contract with the player.

The team's top scorer in each year of his contract is a brief summary of Panarin's career on Broadway. Artemiy did not win the Stanley Cup, but he grew into a big star of the league and the frontman of the New Yorkers. The results in the playoffs are disappointing. The team reached the finals of the East twice, but first lost to Tampa, and then to the future champion, Florida. In cup matches, Panarin's performance dropped. The playoffs didn't go well in 2023, when the team was eliminated from New Jersey, and Artemi came under intense criticism.

But even without winning the Cup, Khlebushek remained the Rangers' brightest player in recent years. The fans quickly fell in love with the charismatic guy from Korkino. He gave everything to New York and almost never missed a match in seven seasons at the club. Artemy is least to blame for the current crisis. No matter how difficult the regular season was, he remains the team's top scorer and is ahead of the point-per-match schedule. Such a player would be very useful to the Capitals.

In addition to Washington, the San Jose Sharks, Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings were mentioned among the teams that could continue negotiations on Panarin, but many of them are also considering the possibility of exchanging only if the contract is extended.