Fansided

3 takeaways from the Capitals skating through the Lightning in Game 1

By Jeremy Lambert

TAMPA, FL - MAY 11: Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) reacts to scoring a goal during the first period of the first game of the NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning on May 11, 2018, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - MAY 11: Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) reacts to scoring a goal during the first period of the first game of the NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning on May 11, 2018, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FL – MAY 11: Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) reacts to scoring a goal during the first period of the first game of the NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning on May 11, 2018, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – MAY 11: Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) reacts to scoring a goal during the first period of the first game of the NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning on May 11, 2018, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. Alex Ovechkin is here and I’m here for it

Full disclosure, I absolutely love Alex Ovechkin. He’s one of my favorite players to watch in the league, and it’s a real shame it’s taken him this long to reach this stage of the playoffs. But he’s here now, and he’s making up for lost time.

Ovechkin finished with a goal and an assist with three shots on goal, three missed shots, and three hits. Keep in mind, the Capitals are without Nicklas Backstrom, arguably their second best player.

The Caps captain isn’t carrying his team. That would be unfair to the guys around him. Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson and T.J. Oshie are no slouches. Lars Eller and Jay Beagle have stepped up in Backstrom’s absence. The attention Ovechkin draws frees up those other guys and it’s up to them to cash in. They did so in Game 1.

When Ovechkin is skating, hitting, and shooting like he was in Game 1, Washington is a different animal. This is as close as Ovechkin has ever been to winning a Stanley Cup. Given how the first decade of his career has gone, there is no guarantee that he’ll be in this position again. He’s learned how to conserve himself over the years, not running out of position quite as much and not taking every opportunity to hit anything that moves.

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But we’re about to see the greatest goal scorer of this generation play like he knows this could be his only chance at a ring. He won’t break the habits that have Washington in this position. He will be a multidimensional problem for Tampa Bay.

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