ESPN’s telecast pointed out during the Washington Capitals’ Game 2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes that Alex Ovechkin did not play the final five minutes and 42 seconds of the Caps’ series-tying 3-1 win.
Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery instead relied heavily on the team’s defensive-minded second and fourth lines — McMichael-Dubois-Wilson and Duhaime-Dowd-Protas — to close things out, continuing a change he made in the postseason.
Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leader in empty-net goals, lit the lamp eight different times when opposing goalies were pulled for an extra attacker during the regular season, third-most in the NHL. Those eight insurance markers not only helped seal a bunch of victories for the Eastern Conference’s best team but also helped Ovechkin break the NHL goals record before season’s end.
Carbery was effusive about Ovechkin’s contributions in late-game situations earlier in the year, comparing him to Mikko Rantanen.
“What I see in the empty-net situations is a player that has an incredible ability to read where the puck is going,” Carbery said of Ovechkin in February. “People would say, ‘What’s he doing out there? He doesn’t penalty kill. He’s not a defensive specialist. Why would you put him out there?’”
Carbery continued, “There’s a lot of skilled players that play around the league five-on-six that aren’t your quote-unquote defensive specialists or your penalty kill guys that have a ton of value playing five-on-six because they are so intelligent with what the offensive players want to do.”
In the Capitals’ four postseason victories not decided in overtime, Ovechkin was not on the ice for a single second during an empty-net situation.
Ovechkin’s last shifts in playoff wins not determined in OT
R1G2: Came off ice with 4:15 left
R1G4: Came off ice with 3:37 left
R1G5: Came off ice with 3:35 left
R2G2: Came off ice with 5:42 left
With the 39-year-old legend no longer closing out games and the team averaging only 2.57 power plays per game, Ovechkin’s average ice time has taken a hit in the postseason. Ovechkin, in his 16th career playoff appearance, is averaging the lowest average ice time of his postseason career (16:13) — 2:19 minutes less on average than his previous low in 2022 (18:32). During 10 of Ovechkin’s 16 postseasons, he’s averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time.
Compared to the regular season, the NHL’s all-time greatest goal-scorer is getting exactly 90 seconds less of average ice time (17:43).
Despite the changes, Ovechkin is still reliably producing in the playoffs, notching five points in seven games. His four goals have him tied for the team lead with Connor McMichael. In Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens, he also scored his first career playoff overtime goal.
During the postseason, Carbery has focused even more on matchups and relied heavily on his two-way and defensive-minded forwards at five-on-five. The aggressive approach is showing on the scoreboard as the Capitals have given up only three or more goals twice and limited the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes to 2.14 goals a night in seven combined games — tied for the lowest in the 2025 postseason. The team is also relying heavily on goaltender Logan Thompson, who leads the league in playoff save percentage at .931 (among goalies who have made three appearances).
While Ovechkin has seen his ice time dry up in more defensive situations, he’s being given more opportunities to score and break open games. Carbery, a second-year head coach up for the Jack Adams Award at year’s end, has not given Ovechkin or his centerman, Dylan Strome, a single defensive-zone start at five-on-five in the playoffs, instead putting the first line out in as many offensive situations as possible.
While the Capitals have a 44.8 shot-attempts percentage with Ovechkin on the ice at five-on-five, they’ve out-scored the opposition 5 to 2.
Carbery’s changes are working; the Capitals are winners of five of their first seven postseason games. And there are clear benefits, too. Ovechkin is not being heavily relied upon, and he’s also not taking much physical punishment either. Ovechkin has delivered 22 hits in all situations and has only been hit once, per Natural Stat Trick. If the Capitals make a deep run, Ovechkin should have plenty left in the tank.
