Better Supporting Cast Lets Alex Ovechkin, Capitals Face Playoff Demons Head on

The Washington Capitals, like many of their counterparts in Washington, D.C., have become no strangers to regular-season success. Yet like their D.C. brethren, they have failed to ascend to the pinnacle of their sport.

The weight of Washington's expectations—and the Capitals' inability to reach the NHL's peak—falls mostly on captain Alex Ovechkin. Ovi, as he's known, is among the world's most talented and charismatic hockey players.

Yet despite 11 straight 30-goal seasons—including seven 50-plus-goal campaigns—he has not been able to push his team over the top.

Despite winning their division six times over the past nine years—topping out with a franchise-record 121 points and the Presidents' Trophy in 2009-10—the Capitals have failed to even reach the Eastern Conference Final since Ovechkin entered the NHL.

The Capitals won their division and the Presidents' Trophy again in 2015-16. They won their first-round playoff series for the third time in their last four playoff trips—claiming their best-of-seven series against the Philadelphia Flyers with a 1-0 win in Game 6.

But this year feels different both for Washington and its captain.

For starters, Ovechkin isn't going at it alone. He's still the highest-profile player on Washington's roster, but there's no shortage of star power in the nation's capital.

Washington general manager Brian MacLellan brought in former Olympic hero T.J. Oshie in a trade with St. Louis this past offseason, and the tough and skilled right winger has offered Ovechkin—and top-line center Nicklas Backstrom—some support.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Oshie delivered during his first year in Washington, finishing the regular season with 26 goals and 51 points in 80 games.

"We've got a real strong room," said Washington head coach Barry Trotz. "That's a credit to Backstrom, Williams, Ovi, all those guys that are leaders on our team."

Williams refers to forward Justin Williams. The 2014 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, known around hockey circles as "Mr. Game 7," and a budding second line made up of another potential star in Russian Evgeny Kuznetsov—who actually led the Caps in scoring this season with 77 points— have aided the Capitals' depth in scoring.

"It's not about one or two lines," said Ovechkin. "We have four lines who can create opportunities."

Their defense, anchored by home-grown blueliner John Carlson and former Pittsburgh Penguins defender Matt Niskanen, is tough to penetrate, and goalie Braden Holtby has been even better in his second year as the Capitals' full-time starter.

Plus, the Ovechkin-Backstrom tandem is still among the best in the NHL.

"I don't think one can exist without the other one. Ovi can't exist without someone getting him the puck, and Backy can't exist without Ovi scoring when he gives it to him," said Williams. "It's a unique relationship, and they both need each other and the other guy on that line is there to make plays, wreak havoc and be an impact player as well."

Yet, it is Trotz—and his right-hand man, goalie coach Mitch Korn—who makes the Caps the scariest team left in the playoff field.

Trotz and the Capitals were one shot short of the Eastern Conference Final last season—they blew a 3-1 series lead and another one-goal advantage in Game 7 before falling in overtime to the New York Rangers in the second round.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

It was Washington's third straight Game 7 loss to the Rangers and the sixth time the Caps had been eliminated in a win-or-go-home game since 2000.

But that was last year, and Trotz and Co. have turned the page, using that loss as fuel for this year's run.

"It seems to me that this team has put everything negative that has happened in the past," Williams said. "It seems like this is, from what I hear, as focused as they have been. They're certainly not satisfied by winning another Presidents' Trophy. They're looking at the bigger picture."

Name	Games	Goals	Goals per Game
1. Mike Bossy	752	573	0.762
2. Mario Lemieux	915	690	0.754
3. Alexander Ovechkin	839	525	0.626
4. Pavel Bure	702	437	0.623
5. Wayne Gretzky	1,487	894	0.601
6. Brett Hull	1,269	741	0.584
7. Bobby Hull	1,063	610	0.574

The Capitals somehow ascended to the top while Ovechkin took a backseat offensively. His line is still driving play, and he still netted 50 goals, including his 500th career marker on Jan. 10.

But Ovechkin finished 15th in the NHL in points and averaged less than a point per game for only the second time in his 11-year career.

"Every team plays against our line especially—they put more defensively on our side," Ovechkin said. "You can't score every game. They still have a goalie and defense."

Since entering the NHL in the 2005-06 season, Ovechkin has been no stranger to the spotlight.

But even as he put up video-game goal and point totals, his popularity in the league waned as the Caps scuffled. Washington went through three coaches in a three-year span between 2011 and 2014, and Ovechkin had mixed results when former coach Adam Oates began ping-ponging him from left wing, to right wing, back to left wing, then back to right again, during the lockout-shortened 2013 season.

Things bottomed out during the 2013-14 season, when the Caps missed the playoffs. Ovechkin was minus-35—third-worst in the NHL—and was thoroughly embarrassed at his home Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The Russian squad, led by Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Ilya Kovalchuk, placed fifth, failing to even reach the medal round, with much of the blame being thrown at Ovechkin, including some from Russia's own head coach.

But things have been different since Trotz came to Washington.

Ovechkin had attended the league's All-Star weekend five times before this year and had created a spectacle at each of them. In 2009, he donned sunglasses and a bucket hat during the breakaway challenge, claiming the second of his three such crowns.

Ovechkin was again voted to the All-Star festivities this season, earning the Metropolitan Division captaincy. But he pulled out of the weekend in Nashville, Tennessee, citing a lingering lower-body injury.

Regarding his absence, he told Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post, "I have to be ready for the rest of the year and get healthy. I think we have a good chance to have success, and I want to be part of it. I don't want to miss important things."

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The important things include the potential to change the hockey world's perception of the Capitals and himself.

Trotz likened Ovechkin to Mark Messier a year ago, and the Russian winger seemed to gain confidence with his coach's trust. He scored three goals against the Rangers last year—including one in Game 7—and his coach took notice.

"Those guys deliver, all three of them on that line," Trotz said of Ovechkin, Backstrom and Oshie. "Very few nights will other teams get the better of them. Those guys are big-moment guys."

Ovechkin proved his coach right in the first round, scoring three goals and adding two assists in the six-game series. He picked up the secondary helper on Backstrom's game-winner in Game 6, further showcasing the Caps' ability to win without him scoring.

But as they prepare for their series against Sidney Crosby and the rival Pittsburgh Penguins, which begins on Thursday, Ovechkin and the Caps still have a huge mountain to climb.

The Caps have only beaten the Pens once in eight head-to-head playoff matchups, and Crosby bested Ovechkin in their only playoff meeting in 2009.

Ovechkin is clearly the District of Columbia's most recognizable hockey player—and perhaps the best player in Capitals history. But if he can bring home the city's first pro championship since 1992, he can ascend to the Mount Rushmore of Washington sports figures, further adding to his legacy as one of the sport's all-time most explosive entities.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Pat Pickens has covered the NHL since 2012. His work has appeared in the New York Times, USA Today and on NHL.com. Follow him on Twitter @Pat_Pickens.