Ovechkin Chasing the Stanley Cup — Contract Doesn’t Matter!

Ovechkin Chasing the Stanley Cup — Contract Doesn’t Matter!
   • Ovechkin Chasing the Stanley Cup — Contrac...  
In the NHL, all the chatter could have been drowned out by a single moment — the punch-up between Sergei Bobrovsky and Alex Nedeljkovic in the Florida vs. San Jose game. The two-time Stanley Cup and Vezina Trophy winner suddenly shed his calm-professor mask and unleashed a surge of emotion that shook the home arena, made the ever-feisty Matthew Tkachuk grin, and sent fans scrambling for their phones. Usually as cool as a Swiss watch, the veteran is now living through a rough patch alongside his team — and no one expected this side of him. Now, the participants of this rare skirmish will have a story to tell for years to come.

Meanwhile, the league delivered plenty of other storylines. Artemi Panarin continued his “final dance” with the Rangers, scoring and assisting on a Vladislav Gavrikov goal, but New York stumbled once again. Vladimir Tarasenko notched a two-goal night and, instead of selfishly firing at an empty net, set up Marcus Foligno for his first road hat trick as Minnesota beat Toronto. Kirill Kaprizov, Danila Yurov, and Yakov Trenin also contributed to the Wild’s victory. Meanwhile, Nathan MacKinnon reclaimed the top spot in the scoring race with his performance against Washington, hitting the 1,100-career-point milestone. Alexander Ovechkin was limited to an assist that night.

The Capitals headed to Denver to start a Western road trip after suffering two home setbacks against San Jose and Florida. The Panthers themselves had recently visited the White House for a presidential reception, where Bobrovsky was once again congratulated like a hero. But the very next day, the champions collapsed in Raleigh, falling 1–9 to Carolina, with Bobrovsky allowing nine goals for the first time in his career. Just two days later, Paul Maurice’s team bounced back against Washington, with Jacob Chikran scoring both of the Caps’ goals — the defenseman celebrating the birth of his first child with a pair of strikes against his home-state team.

Since early December, Washington has struggled to catch a winning wave. Roster gaps, tense play, and a search for balance have kept the team off-kilter. Spencer Carbery rotates the lineup like an old radio dial hunting for a clear signal. General Manager Chris Patrick publicly stood behind the coach, acknowledging the problems as real and objective. The hope lies in returning injured players and making a push toward the playoff zone. The March trade-deadline looms: a top-end winger is a must.

And of course, questions about Ovechkin’s future remain. The 40-year-old captain’s contract expires after this season. Back in September, Patrick said he was ready to discuss anything whenever Alexander was comfortable. Ovi himself admitted then that he was taking things step by step. That approach hasn’t changed — no bold announcements, just work in the present.

In Denver, Washington held its own for two periods. Chikran responded to an early home goal with a power-play strike. Ovechkin once again demonstrated that captaincy isn’t just a stat line: he stood up for a teammate, tangled with Josh Manson over a dirty hit on Daud, and later delivered a precision pass that set up Ethen Frank’s second goal for the Caps. The new line with Daud and Frank looked more alive than the rest. The young players are still riding waves — sometimes brilliant, sometimes lost in the fog.

Charlie Lindgren in net kept the team in it — 39 saves, a Colorado goal overturned on a goaltender-interference challenge, countless tough stops. But against MacKinnon in that form, it was like trying to fend off a hailstorm with an umbrella. Nathan finished with a two-goal, one-assist night, becoming the tenth active NHL player to reach 1,100 career points. Philosophically, he shrugged it off: today’s points are here, tomorrow they might not be — the priority is playing well and helping the team.

Ovechkin and the Capitals aren’t chasing records right now — the playoff battle consumes all focus. Yet the milestones are close: four points from Gretzky’s franchise scoring record, six goals shy of 1,000 career goals. History is knocking, but the team has asked it to wait.

Next up for Washington: a Canadian road trip — Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, then Seattle and a stop in Detroit. Homecoming isn’t until the end of January. The trip is long, nerves are short, and the mission is as old as the game itself: stop sinking, and finally start moving forward.

After all, old hockey truths don’t change: character either exists or it doesn’t. The Caps seem to have it — they just need to remember how to use it.