The Washington Capitals have once again ended their season with disappointment. Another early exit from the playoffs is garnering some pretty harsh reactions from players. For several seasons now, the Capitals have been one of the top teams in the league and yet have come away with nothing to show for it. This year was no different after a first-round Game 7 loss has sent them packing. Capitals' star Alex Ovechkin was none too happy with the way things played out in the series, and let league know of his displeasure.
Ovechkin took time to call out the referees after Washington lost to the New York Rangers on Monday night. The Rangers moved on to the second round, while the Capitals are headed home.
"The refereeing...you understand it yourself. How can there be no penalties at all (on one team) during the playoffs? I am not saying there was a phone call from the league, but someone just wanted Game 7. For the ratings. You know, the lockout, escrow, the league needs to make profit," Ovechkin said.
Ovechkin is referring to Game 6, when the Rangers played a tough game, but remained out of the penalty box and prevented the Capitals from closing out the series. Ovechkin's frustration's finally reached a boiling point on Monday night.
"I don't know whether the refs were predisposed against us or the league. But to not give obvious penalties to the Rangers, while for us any little thing was immediately penalized."
In Game 7, the Capitals were hit with 14 penalty minutes compared to the four the Rangers were hit with. Both teams had power-play opportunities twice and failed to score any points. In the seven total games, the Rangers had 40 penalty minutes while Washington had 74. The different is pretty large considering it is a playoff series.
Ovechkin personally had a tough postseason. After scoring in Game 1 along with registering one assist, he went cold and did not register a single point. He took 18 shots on goal, but did not get a single one to hit the back of the net. After leading the NHL in the regular season with 32 goals, he failed to follow up in the playoffs.
This is just another chapter in the postseason woes of the Capitals. They are now 2-5 in Game 7s since 2008. They have lost in the semifinals three times and in the quarterfinals twice in the past five years. They have yet to figure out how to carry their regular-season success and turn it into a Stanley Cup Championship.
