The Washington Capitals have the opportunity to do something tonight that they haven’t done in 20 years: advance past the second round of the playoffs.
Is the team paralyzed with nerves heading into Game Six? Um, it appears to be the exact opposite.
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The #Caps are a loose bunch ahead of Game 6. Alex Ovechkin kicked off the skate with a hot lap around PPG Paints Arena. Haha. #CapsPens pic.twitter.com/SQMySloHQD
— Tarik El-Bashir⌨️🎙🏒 (@TarikNBCS) May 7, 2018
Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin began Monday’s loose morning skate with what NBC Sports Washington’s Tarik El-Bashir termed a “hot lap.” Ovechkin skated around the PPG Paints Arena rink solo as his teammates banged their sticks on the ice and against the boards, cheering and laughing.
According to El-Bashir, Capitals fourth-line center Jay Beagle does the hot lap on the day of games, but Ovechkin requested to do so in his place.
Beagle normally takes the hot lap to start the morning skate. But Ovi took it from him today. “If the big guy wants it, he gets it,” Beagle cracked.
— Tarik El-Bashir⌨️🎙🏒 (@TarikNBCS) May 7, 2018
Beyond being funny, the Ovechkin hot lap has symbolism here to consider. Taking the lap from the team’s perceived hardest worker, Ovechkin perhaps wanted to set the tone for the day and show the team he’s not above doing the little things to win.
Ovechkin has never won a postseason series against Pittsburgh in three tries. Before the series began, a smiling Ovechkin told reporters that he looked forward to playing the Penguins in the playoffs again.
“It’s just fun,” Ovechkin said. “That’s why we work so hard all year to be in this position. Obviously you want to move first round, second round, third, and fourth. It’s hard. It’s a big challenge for us, especially against Pittsburgh. There’s always a lot of attention to this series, and it’s fun.”
The comment mimicked the advice general manager Brian MacLellan gave the team before the postseason began.
“Last couple years, we put pressure on ourselves. It might have taken a little bit of the fun out of the game,” MacLellan said. “I think it’s important to have fun and enjoy this time of year.”
So in summary, the Capitals aren’t this.
Caps fans today. #ALLCAPS @MayHockeyNBCS @JenksNBCS @Capitals @SteveRudinABC7 @russianmachine @troychewning Go Caps! pic.twitter.com/kbuCKBwDig
— Zak Brisko (@HWPCWX) May 7, 2018
They’re this.
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