Kovalchuk's silence, one shot by Ovechkin and chaos on the defensive: Washington is one step away from relegation from the Stanley Cup

Lack of discipline of players

The third match of the first round of the playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) between the Washington Capitals and the New York Islanders was the most disastrous for Todd Rearden's charges. They deservedly lost in overtime, retaining all the worst that was demonstrated in the first two games. Now Alexander Ovechkin and his teammates are on the edge of the abyss - only four times in the entire history of the Stanley Cup, the teams managed to recoup from the score 0: 3 in the series. And it's hard to believe that the capital will be able to create such a comeback.

In the first period, the Capitals had significant problems with the organization of the attack, which is clearly evidenced by only six shots at the opponent's goal. On the defensive, the chaos that was familiar from previous matches reigned, so in one of the episodes neither goalkeeper Braden Holtby nor three field players could prevent Anders Lee, who was on the spot, from sending the puck into the goal after Adam Pelech's transfer from the blue line. But at that moment, “Washington” was still playing in equal compositions, which he allowed himself not so often. Five deletions per match (three of them in the first period) and generally weak discipline in the entire series is another reason why the team rarely found itself in a foreign zone.

In previous years, the Capitals have won the fans' sympathy for their desperate pursuit of historic results. Now it is becoming the norm for the team to throw the puck out of their zone at random and play on counterattacks in a situation where it is necessary to save the streak. Evgeny Kuznetsov's goal in the majority in the 26th minute did not change the overall picture in any way, and in the final third, Washington was enough for only four critical moments. In such a situation, it was a miracle that the Islanders did not put the squeeze on their opponents in regulation time and did it only in extra time.

Failure of Kovalchuk

In the current series with the Islanders, all of Washington looks bad and does not reveal its potential. Ilya Kovalchuk is no exception, who for the first time since 2012 participates in the Stanley Cup matches - the last significant trophy that is lacking in his individual collection.

Kovalchuk did not show leadership qualities even during the tournament, in which the seeding of favorites in the knockout round was played. Despite a decent playing time for him, the 37-year-old striker made only one effective pass and made four shots in three meetings. True, once Kovalchuk distinguished himself with six power moves.

As a result, the Olympic champion had a series with "New York" without even a single shot at the goal of Semyon Varlamov, although Todd Reirden gave him a chance and released it for 15 minutes, then for 12. And in the second match, when Kovalchuk was on the ice a little more than eight minutes, he even spent a shift in the majority brigade. But he did not have any influence on the game of “Washington”. Of course, you can recall how his pass to Lars Eller almost allowed the Capitals to take the lead in match 3, but much more was expected from a player who fought desperately to play in the Stanley Cup this season and has experience in the final.

The reliability of Varlamov

It should be noted that the primitive attack of “Washington” also stumbled upon the brilliant play of Semyon Varlamov. If during the regular season it was possible to say that he shares a place in goal with Thomas Griss on equal terms, now the Russian has won the title of the main goalkeeper of the Islanders and is successfully confirming his status.

In the series with Washington, Varlamov is still as reliable as it is necessary to win. He has not conceded more than two goals, although the Capitals' average in the regular season was close to four goals scored. The native of Yaroslavl was equally well prepared for periods of sudden activity in the capital, when their throws went in whole series, and for single attacks.

It should be noted that Barry Trotz organized the entire defense of the Islanders well, making life much easier for Varlamov. But in the overtime of the third match, the Russians decided the outcome of the fight almost alone. After his save, Matthew Barzal fled to a counterattack and secured a third victory.

Lineup changes

For a team with a host of superstars, injury losses are no excuse for a bad game. However, the fact remains. Washington could not have had an optimal squad in any of their matches with the Islanders.

In the first game, the team lost Niklas Beckström due to suspected concussion following Lee's forceful trick. After that, the Swedish striker never came out on the ice, and Alexander Ovechkin was left without his carrier of shells. Of course, this did not prevent the Russian from scoring a double in the second game, but in the third match, Bekström was very much needed by the whole “Washington”.

Some of the line-up changes that Todd Reirden conducted did not work. In match three, he even replaced Travis Boyd with NHL debut Brian Pinho, who eventually left the ice with a -1 utility. However, Reyarden's relatively successful decision can be called the renewal of the third line of defense (only the first two pairs were allowed from the Islanders).

Trotz factor

“Washington” was also unlucky to meet with a coach who knows this team up and down. Barry Trotz led the Metropolitan club to the 2018 Stanley Cup victory before moving to the Islanders. Since then, in two years, he has won half of the regular season matches in which he faced the former players.

In addition, Trotz managed to rally the Islanders. First of all, he tightened up discipline, which became one of the key factors, since the implementation of the majority is still the strong point of Ovechkin's team, which she clearly demonstrated in the first match. But then in the majority, “Washington” played less and less - so, in the third game, the New Yorkers broke the rules only twice.

Along with discipline, order appeared in the game. Personal care of Ovechkin in the last meeting worked perfectly, and the captain of "Washington" inflicted only one shot at Varlamov's goal, and even that one in overtime. Since the coach knows how to close the main star of the opponent, then with the rest of the players, "New York" had no problems.