Alex Ovechkin is scoring goals again, and the Washington Capitals are in position to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs less than three weeks after being a seller at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline.
How Ovechkin is doing it and how the Capitals have managed to claw their way into position to be the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference are two of the major talking points on this week's episode of the "NHL @TheRink" podcast.
Alan May, the rinkside and studio analyst for Capitals games on NBC Sports Washington, joins co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke to break it all down.
May, who played for Washington from 1989-94, discusses Ovechkin clearing his mind on a trip to Dubai over All-Star Weekend, the impact of first-year coach Spencer Carbery, Charlie Lindgren's ascent to being the No. 1 goalie, the leadership of the veterans in the room and how the young players are taking ownership of their role in the Capitals' surge toward playoff contention.
May also touches on Washington's low event style of play, why it is conducive to winning in the playoffs, and why its minus-26 goal differential is misleading.
Rosen and Roarke hit on a number of other topics around the NHL, including why the Nashville Predators are surging, if the Philadelphia Flyers can hang onto a playoff spot with nine games to play, are the Vegas Golden Knights a dangerous team and Josh Doan's two-goal NHL debut with the Arizona Coyotes.
The "NHL @TheRink" podcast is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.
