Burakovsky was one of the unsung heroes in the Washington Capitals' first Stanley Cup championship. After missing most of the first two rounds of the 2018 playoffs with an upper-body injury, Burakovsky scored two goals in the second period of Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Final to help the Capitals defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 and advance to the Final for the first time since 1998. He also had four assists in Washington's five-game victory against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Final.
It's the kind of performance the Capitals have wanted more of since they selected Burakovsky with the No. 23 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.
Burakovsky was one of the unsung heroes in the Washington Capitals' first Stanley Cup championship. After missing most of the first two rounds of the 2018 playoffs with an upper-body injury, Burakovsky scored two goals in the second period of Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Final to help the Capitals defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 and advance to the Final for the first time since 1998. He also had four assists in Washington's five-game victory against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Final.
It's the kind of performance the Capitals have wanted more of since they selected Burakovsky with the No. 23 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.
The son of former NHL defenseman Robert Burakovsky, who played one season with the Ottawa Senators in 1993-94, Andre was born in Klagenfurt, Austria, where his father was playing at the time, but was raised in Malmo, Sweden. He rose through the ranks of Malmo's hockey program, making his pro debut with Malmo's second division-program as a 16-year-old in 2011-12 before landing a regular spot in the second division for 2012-13.
After he was selected by the Capitals, Burakovsky was the No. 5 pick by Erie in the Canadian Hockey League's Import Draft. The 6-foot-3, 201-pound forward had 87 points (41 goals, 46 assists) in 57 games in 2013-14 for Erie, where he was a teammate of 16-year-old Connor McDavid. He also scored 10 goals in 14 playoff games.
Burakovsky made Washington's opening-night roster in 2014-15 and scored his first NHL goal in his debut, a 2-1 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 9, 2014). He finished with 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) and a plus-12 rating in 53 games, then scored two goals in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games, both on May 6, 2015, in a 2-1 victory in Game 4 in a second-round series against the New York Rangers.
Burakovsky appeared in 79 games in 2015-16 and improved his offensive numbers to 38 points (17 goals, 21 assists). Injuries limited him to 64 games in 2016-17 and 56 in 2017-18, though he had 60 points (24 goals, 36 assists) in the 120 games he did play.
