It has been an unforgettable season for Alex Ovechkin, hasn’t it? The Capitals’ star broke Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record earlier in the season, becoming the league’s highest goal scorer. However, he refused to slow down and set his aim at winning the big prize, the Stanley Cup trophy. The Russian star has won this trophy just once, in 2018 but is hungry for more. And what better opportunity to do so after a record-breaking season? Nonetheless, the task isn’t a cakewalk, with NHL commentators Kyle Bukauskas and Elliotte Friedman exposing a major weakness in the Capitals.

The Capitals have dominated this season and finished at the top of the Metropolitan Division. They dominated their opponents right throughout the season and showed hardly any weaknesses. However, with the Stanley Cup Playoffs underway, Bukauskas and Friedman pointed out a major weakness in the Capitals’ lineup that could be detrimental to the team’s Stanley Cup chances.

During the recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, they explained, “Someone sent me a stat that on in game three, Carolina won 50%, 57% of the puck battles. You are not going to win in the playoffs if you’re winning four out of every 10 puck battles; you are just not going to do that and I realize that the margins aren’t that high but 57.33 is a lot to me. Puck battles are a 50/50 game and the best teams are always above 50.”

Further, the Capitals have gotten a harsh reality check as they trail the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Ovechkin is yet to score in the series against the Hurricanes, something that is a rare sight for any team to shut down the league’s highest goal scorer. Capitals coach Spencer Carbery acknowledged this fact and sounded cautious about the opponent’s strategies.

Capitals coach makes alarming admission as Stanley Cup chances hang by a thin thread

After breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals tally, Ovechkin had made clear his intentions of clinching the Stanley Cup trophy this year. While it had been an excellent run so far for the Capitals, their Round 2 series against the Hurricanes is getting tougher than expected. After falling behind in the third game, their coach, Carbery, made a serious revelation.

He said, “I mean, probably last night is their best game. They get the one chance off the face-off on the back door. [Ovechkin] gets a couple at the net front. I think overall, just his line—Stromer’s line—relies a lot on entries and creating off of entries. And you’re just not going to get very many of those against the Carolina Hurricanes with their gap control and the length and the size of their D.”

If the Capitals are to get back into the contest, the onus lies on Alex Ovechkin to find the net for the first time in the series. They will be difficult to stop if he gets going, and the Capitals would be banking on him to come out with the goods.