Nicklas Backstrom’s favorite apple on an Alex Ovechkin goal came on the same day of his favorite moment with his longtime running mate.
Backstrom made his pick while filming a video for the Capitals’ social media last year, as he followed the team hoping to see Ovechkin break the NHL goals record.
@capitals Nicky’s favorite assist on an Ovi goal? You can probably guess 😍 #stanleycup #ovi #ovechkin #sauce
“My favorite assist to an Ovi goal is Game 5 against Vegas in the Stanley Cup Finals, 2018,” Backstrom said. “I remember it was on the power play, so I was walking up and down the half wall on the power play, and Ovi was located the back door. Cross-ice. I think maybe I sauced it over two different players and just landed perfectly at his stick. When I threw the pass, I didn’t know it was that nice. It looks way better on slo-mo after, but I think why too is my favorite assist, the type of game it was, and how important that goal was.”
The Ovechkin goal, which came on a one-timer, came 10:14 into the second period of Game 5, beating Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury over the right pad.
The goal was one of four the Capitals scored in their Stanley Cup-clinching game in Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. Jakub Vrana, Devante Smith-Pelly, and Lars Eller also found the back of the net in the 4-3 Game 5 victory.
The assist marked Backstrom’s 18th and final assist during that championship run. The Swedish centerman posted 23 points — third-most in the NHL postseason that year — in 20 games.
The Capitals’ Stanley Cup championship came after the Ovechkin and Backstrom-led team made the playoffs in nine of the previous 10 seasons, but never advanced past the second round of the postseason. The Caps had captured three Presidents’ Trophies during that span as the NHL’s best regular-season team, but could never get over the hump until that season.
“It was a pretty special moment when we won together,” Backstrom said. “We realized that. But back then, that hug was, to people outside, I think it looked like a happy moment. It was more like a relief, I think, for both of us. And just be like, finally we got it done.”
Backstrom finished his career assisting on 279 of Ovechkin’s 929 career goals, the most of any other player.
