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Has anyone seen Alex Ovechkin?
The star goal-scorer from Washington has not been present in the first pair of playoff matches against the Rangers, who achieved a 2-0 advantage following a 4-3 victory at the Garden on Tuesday.
Ovechkin, aged 38, topped the Caps with 31 goals this season and is in pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s milestone goals record. Nevertheless, he failed to register a single shot on goal in Game 1 and managed just one on Tuesday evening.
The Rangers have effectively contained Ovechkin through their tactical lineups and physical play, making him so inconspicuous that one might liken his disappearance to being in a witness protection program.
After the game, Washington coach Spencer Carbery called out his superstar with some eye-opening transparent words.
“I thought in the first two games he looks a little bit off, he’s struggling,’’ Carbery said. “It’s hard. It’s the playoffs, on the road. He’s getting a tough matchup.
“But it’s two games. We’re going back home and we’ll get an opportunity to be able to control the matchups for him, and he can flip it. That’s one thing about him. He can flip it in one game and all of a sudden be a difference-maker and help us win a game and be a driving force on winning us a game on home ice.’’
Asked what he sees in Ovechkin’s struggles, Carbery said, “There’s two things that I notice when he’s struggling — he’s not getting [chances]. He should on a nightly basis get four or five looks, whether they go in or not.
“He’s not getting those looks. Whether that’s a product of his matchups or a product of the line combinations, we’ve got to find a way to get him in spots where it’s him and [Rangers goalie Igor] Shesterkin.
“The second thing I see is shots getting blocked. That’s where I see he’s off just a bit. Even in the six-on-five [at the end of the game], we win the draw and his shot goes into shin pads.’’
Ovechkin’s struggles have taken place on defense, too, as his giveaway led to Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller scoring a shorthanded goal that proved to be the game-winner.
“We give up the shorty when Ovi turns [the puck] over, which was a really, really difficult goal to give up,’’ Carbery said. “On the play, he gets a puck cross-ice and he’s getting pressured right away and he bobbles it.’’
“We’ve been doing a good job pressing them,’’ Mika Zibanejad said of the Washington power play, which is led by Ovechkin. “That’s a good power play. You don’t want to give them time or space. When we pressure, there are opportunities to go forward, and we had some good looks. At least we got one [from Miller], so that was a big one for us.’’
Carbery vowed that his star would be better at home.
“He’s been through so many situations like this, I expect him to step up big time in Game 3,’’ Carbery said.
