Capitals HC makes feelings known on Alex Ovechkin’s performance in playoffs after Round 2 elimination

Washington Capitals coach Spencer Carbery made his feelings known about captain Alex Ovechkin's performance in the playoffs after their second-round elimination.

The Capitals were knocked out of the playoffs on Thursday, falling 3-1 to the Hurricanes in Game 5 and dropping the series 4-1. They had reached the second round after dispatching the Canadiens in five games in the opening round.

Spencer Carbery said after the loss to the Hurricanes:

"I thought O (Ovechkin) was great in the playoffs.” (3:25 onwards)

Carbery acknowledged that Ovechkin didn’t put up big numbers against Carolina but emphasized his leadership and drive as key factors in the team’s success this year.

He also pointed out how much last season’s first-round sweep had weighed on Ovechkin, showing just how motivated he's to help the team bounce back.

“For him to come back this year and play the way that he did, chase down this record, the start that he had, breaking his leg, coming back from that, and just continuing to not only do the things he did individually, statistically, but lead our team – that’s part of the story,” Carbery said.

"He's a big part of that as our captain. Everything that he did this year, and then the cherry on top,” the coach added.

Carbery praised Ovechkin for his early season success, overcoming a broken leg and continuing to lead the team on his return.

In the playoffs, Carbery said that Ovechkin "hit the ground running," noting his overtime winner against Montreal. Even though the Capitals won that series in five games, Carbery emphasized how close those games were and how important Ovechkin's contributions were.

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Capitals HC Spencer Carbery on 3-1 loss to Hurricanes

The Capitals' lone goal came from Anthony Beauvillier, while Logan Thompson had 18 saves for Washington. Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov and Jordan Staal scored for the Hurricanes, while Frederik Andersen backstopped 18 shots.

"The main takeaway is this: Carolina is one heck of an opponent. So all the things we're going to talk about – shortcomings that we had, whether that be special teams, five-on-five scoring, depth scoring – we can break it all down,” Carbery said.

Carbery noted that while the Capitals had shortcomings, those issues were largely a result of the Hurricanes' strong plays rather than mistakes by the Capitals.

The coach pointed out that the games were tight, and with a bounce one way or the other, the series could have gone differently. But over the course of five games, Carbery pointed out that the Hurricanes demonstrated why they are a top team in the league this year.