By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) – With the Washington Capitals record goalscorer Alex Ovechkin’s name underlined in the history books, they are among the favorites to claim the National Hockey League’s ultimate prize this year as the Stanley Cup playoffs start off on Saturday.
The 39-year-old Russian’s so-called “Gr8 Chase” for the league’s hallowed all-time scoring record of Wayne Gretzky that was once considered unbeatable ended this month as Ovechkin recorded his 895th career NHL goal on the road.
The race for the history books captivated fans and propelled the Capitals to finish at the top of their division for the first time in five years, raising hopes that the king of D.C. hockey could add another jewel to his crown.
While the number one seeds in the east have a few recent under-performances, including a 7-0 defeat by Columbus on Saturday, the team that had the lion’s share of the media spotlight this year can expect to hang on to the headlines a little longer.
“I’m optimistic about them, obviously, just because I know they’re well-coached,” ESPN broadcaster and former defenseman P.K. Subban told reporters this week.
“But it’s also like, okay has this chase drawn too much out of them or has this raised their game to another level and they’re just kind of patiently waiting now to start playing playoffs and ramp it back up again?
“They’ve been a team that whenever it’s been called upon them to kind of step up and get things back on track, they do.”
The Capitals close out their regular season on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, having already clinched the Metropolitan Division, and face the Montreal Canadiens in the best-of-seven Round 1.
Montreal are among five teams hoping to end the so-called Canadian curse this year and bring the trophy to hockey’s ancestral home for the first time since they last won it in 1993.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, who play the Ottawa Senators first, and the Winnipeg Jets, who face the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference first round, have the best odds, while the Edmonton Oilers are out for revenge after last year’s bitter disappointment.
The Oilers fought back from a 0-3 deficit against the Florida Panthers a year ago, forcing an improbable Game 7, but lost in heartbreaking fashion in the decider to extend the drought.
The Oilers play the Los Angeles Kings in the first round for the fourth year in a row.
“Winnipeg is a really good team with the best goalie (Connor Hellebuyck), and one of these years Toronto is going to punch through. I don’t know if it’s this year, but they play a heck of a lot different than they did in the past,” said ESPN broadcaster Ray Ferraro, who spent nearly two decades in the NHL. “Those are two teams I don’t think we should sleep on.”
Last year’s champions the Panthers begin their playoff campaign against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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