Alexander Ovechkin made a fantastic return to the Washington lineup: the forward scored in two games in a row after a serious injury. In the game against Boston, Ovechkin could have extended his scoring streak, but the Capitals head coach deprived him of this opportunity.

Ovechkin has new partners

In the first meeting after his return, Ovechkin was objectively not spectacular. Alexander carefully fell into the rhythm of the match against Toronto, and his playing time was only 14 minutes and 58 seconds, during which he managed to make only three shots on target. However, the captain of the capital’s club was not afraid to go into a power struggle and scored into an empty goal, which certainly took the extra pressure off him.

Against Detroit, fans could already see a completely different Ovechkin. Take Washington’s majority, for example: the striker spent almost the entire two minutes of each extra play on duty in the “office” and waited for an opportunity to score. And his playing time and activity in attack have improved significantly – Alexander spent as much as 20 minutes and 22 seconds on the court, and also shot on target eight times.

The big celebration associated with Ovechkin’s triumphant return was spoiled by the terrible result of the match against Detroit. The Capitals lost the match in the first period, conceding four goals, and the capital team did not have time to win back. Washington head coach Spencer Carbery decided to make changes to the lineup after a painful loss. The specialist even made adjustments to the strike trio, removing Alexei Protas from Ovechkin and Dylan Strome. The Belarusian hockey player went to Tom Wilson and Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Connor McMichael became part of the first line.

Apparently, Carbery decided to find out what would happen if you put together the team’s two best snipers – Ovechkin (17) and McMichael (16). In addition, Ivan Miroshnichenko again appeared in Washington’s application, replacing Jakub Vrana. Interestingly, 20-year-old Miroshnichenko played his last match on December 24 against Boston.

Ovechkin breaks his scoring streak

The home match began for the Capitals with a curious goal. In the second minute, defenseman Parker Wotherspoon drove to the red line and threw hard into the zone, the puck bounced off the protective glass at Charlie Lindgren, and Justin Brazeau made an effective finishing move. Washington did not get upset that the home side acted as an assistant for the opponent, and soon equalized. In the 13th minute, Dubois made a pass from behind the goal towards the goal, and Protas scored with a throw into the far corner – 1:1.

At the end of the period, the hosts earned a majority and converted it in just 15 seconds through the efforts of Jacob Chickran. In general, Chykran’s play lately has been amazing: he scored his 11th goal and is now tied for first place on the list of best snipers among defensemen with Zachary Werenski and Cale Makar. Jacob becomes the main leader of the Washington defense, and this is with John Carlson playing!

In the second period, Boston had a great opportunity to equalize. The Bruins played on the power play twice, but the visitors failed to upset Logan Thompson. The Capitals were not only able to survive shorthanded, but even out-scored their opponents during this period of the game – eight shots on target versus six.

The scoring drought continued after the second break. Washington could please the spectators who were bored without scoring goals. In the middle of the third period, Ovechkin made a dangerous shot from his “office” during the power play, but in this episode the Russian was unable to extend his scoring streak.

This was the most dangerous moment in the oddball draw, which ended in a mass brawl. Andrew Mangipane distinguished himself the most: the forward first dropped his opponent on the ice and then began to finish him off on the ground.

In the remaining time, there were almost no truly dangerous moments at the goal of both teams. But there was still hope for Ovechkin’s goal, because Boston, losing by one goal, would probably take a risk by changing the goalkeeper to a sixth field player. And two minutes before the final siren, the Bruins’ goal really turned out to be empty. However, Carbery did not let Ovechkin onto the ice, but Protas was on the ice. The Belarusian forward received a pass from Wilson and scored a double.

As a result, the Capitals beat Boston 3:1 and took first place in the East.