ARLINGTON, Va. — Alex Ovechkin is four months away from turning 40 and still was among the Washington Capitals’ most consistent hitters in the first round of the NHL playoffs.
Color his teammates unsurprised.
“He’s one of a kind,” right winger Tom Wilson said. “He’s a machine. He’s built different.”
Ovechkin led the Capitals into the second round for the first time since captaining them to the Stanley Cup in 2018, scoring four goals and finishing with 19 hits to set up a showdown with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The best-of-seven series starts Tuesday, exactly a month after Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record for career goals, and he’s expected to keep this up moving forward because he has been a physical force his entire career with a style that fits perfectly in playoff hockey.