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'Don’t Think We Played Bad Hockey,' Alex Ovechkin Praises Capitals Despite ‘Tough’ Series Loss Against Hurricanes in Game 5
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'Don’t Think We Played Bad Hockey,' Alex Ovechkin Praises Capitals Despite ‘Tough’ Series Loss Against Hurricanes in Game 5

Originally posted on FirstSportz  |  By Vinay Dave  |  Last updated May 16, 2025 11:40 AM ET

The magical season for the Washington Capitals came to an end on Thursday. The Metropolitan Division leaders suffered a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes and got eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. Despite this loss, captain Alex Ovechkin praised this team for their performance in Game 5.

The 2024-25 season was a memorable one for the Capitals. After being swept by the New York Rangers in the first round last year, the Caps started off strong with Ovechkin leading the line. As the season progressed, the spotlight started hovering around their captain as he was on the pursuit of Wayne Gretzky‘s goal-scoring record.

In April, Ovechkin finally chased down Gretzky and became the NHL’s top goal scorer. His team also became the first side to qualify for the playoffs. A year ago, they were the last team to book their place in the playoffs.

This time, the Capitals made light work of the Montreal Canadiens in the first round and won 4-1. After losing 2-1 in overtime in Game 1, the Capitals did find their way back into the series with a 3-1 win in Game 2.

The Canes kept their cool and won 4-0 and 5-2 in Games 3 and 4 respectively and put their opponents on the brink of elimination. In Game 5, the Washington-based side had their chances but were undone with a late winning goal from Andrei Svechnikov. His goal at the 18:01 mark in the third period followed by an empty netter from Seth Jarvis a few moments later, sealed the deal for the Canes.

While speaking with the reporters after the game, Alex Ovechkin claimed that ‘luck’ was perhaps not on their side as they did not play any bad hockey according to him.

Obviously, we have our chances. Maybe we don’t execute, maybe luck was not on our side because I don’t think we played bad hockey. I think we have lots of great chances to get the lead, but it’s tough.

Capitals HC makes huge statement regarding Alex Ovechkin’s future following elimination against Hurricanes

At the age of 39, Alex Ovechkin aged like a fine wine this season. With the Washington Capitals captain turning 40 by the time the new season starts, there are some who are having some doubts regarding his future. Following the second round elimination at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, head coach Spencer Carbery made a huge statement regarding this.

While speaking to the reporters after the game, the head coach expressed that the team expects Ovechkin to be back for the 2025-26 season. The 43-year-old coach explained that “The Great Eight” still has one-year left on his contract.

My understanding is he’s under contract, so he’ll be back next year.

Ovechkin signed a 5 year, $47,500,000 contract extension with the Capitals in 2021. He still has $9.5 million salary cap for the 2025-26 season. So for now, there is no retirement plan regarding the Russian forward.

How did Alex Ovechkin perform in the playoffs this year?

At the start of the season, very few would have predicted Alex Ovechkin to be the leading scorer for this team. The Russian international turned back the clock this year and scored a whopping 44 goals in 65 regular games. How did he perform in the playoffs though?

In the first round against the Canadiens, Ovechkin scored 4 times and 1 assist in 5 games. One of his goal was his first very playoff overtime winner.

His train though did slow down a bit in the series against the Canes. In the 5 games, he only found the back of the net once, during the 5-2 loss in Game 4. He eventually finished with a tally of 6 points (5 goals and 1 assist) from 10 playoff games.

While the Caps now go back home empty-handed, the Canes will turn their attention towards Game 6 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers. The winner of this series will take on the Canes in the Eastern Conference Final.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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