Forum Pucharu Śledzia

douhua2233 · Dołączył: 11 Sie 2018 Posty: 97

It sure looked as if Alex Ovechkin was slowing down Jaire Alexander Jersey Elite , at least by his standards.

This time a year ago, Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals were limping away from another early playoff exit. His 16 even-strength goals in the regular season tied for the lowest of his career. Injuries limited him to five goals in 13 playoff games.

Then a funny thing happened. Coach Barry Trotz took time from visiting his son in Russia to meet with Ovechkin and talk about changing and evolving his game at age 32. Time doesnt stop, not even for the greatest goal-scorer of his generation. Trotz and general manager Brian MacLellan wanted more goals, better foot speed and for their cornerstone player to take care of his body to be able to handle more time on the ice.

Thats just life: You have to change, you have to grow, Trotz said. He was motivated to show everybody that he still is a great player in this league.

Ovechkin led the NHL with 49 goals in the regular season, 15 more in the playoffs as the Conn Smythe Trophy winner and showed in his 13th season he could lead his team to the Stanley Cup. Ordinarily a team would be running out the clock on the final three seasons of a 13-year deal with a player of his age, but now Ovechkin is a Stanley Cup champion and there is no telling how much more the big forward can do in his NHL career.

Was tough time, but we fight through it and we get result, Ovechkin said. Its just something special. I dont know. Im just very excited and Im very happy right now.

Hours after the Russian superstar lifted the Cup on the ice in Las Vegas, President Donald Trump devoted his first tweet of the morning to Ovechkin and the Capitals.

Congratulations to the Washington Capitals on their GREAT play and winning the Stanley Cup Championship Sam Darnold Jets Jersey , Trump tweeted . Alex Ovechkin, the team captain, was spectacular a true Superstar! D.C. is popping, in many ways. What a time!

Ovechkin likely hadnt gone to sleep when the tweet was delivered at 4:12 a.m. Las Vegas time and he retweeted it. Next week, Ovechkin will be the star in a parade down Constitution Avenue six months after Trump on inauguration day and this summer will take the Cup back home to Moscow.

After that, the next challenge starts. Ovechkin last summer adjusted his training methods in Russia, and he seemed rejuvenated when came back to the Washington area.

Now he has to do it all over again with a happily shorter summer.

As youre getting older, were going to have to train a little different so you become the athlete you always have been, because these young kids can absolutely fly, Trotz said.

Ovechkin looked like he was flying all season, from seven goals in his first two games to one on the power play Thursday night in the Cup clincher against the Vegas Golden Knights. But goal-scorers dont typically keep up this pace Ovechkin was already the oldest player to finish first in goals since Phil Esposito in 1974-75.

He was very comfortable and he was very confident Panthers Donte Jackson Jersey , longtime teammate Nicklas Backstrom said. He was really calm. Everything was really good. Its impressive the way he scores goals and the way he worked out there. He was just a machine there in the playoffs.

Owner Ted Leonsis said recently his only regret about signing Ovechkin to a $124 million, 13-year deal is that it wasnt longer. With three years left at a salary-cap hit over $9.5 million, Ovechkin has already exceeded the expectations of that monster contract with three Hart Trophies, seven Maurice Rocket Richard Trophies and now the playoff success that had long eluded him.

We worked so hard through all the years and we were together, Ovechkin said. Its just like a dream.

More Stanley Cup coverage: The Florida Panthers were one of the best teams in the NHL after the All-Star break, not that it counted for much at the end of the regular season.

Despite winning five games over the final seven days and tying for first in the NHL with 25 victories over their final 35 games, the Panthers failed to make the playoffs for the fifth time in six years and the 15th time in 17 seasons.

Its disappointing, said center Vincent Trocheck, who finished the season with a team-high 31 goals. Everybody here had one goal, and that was to make the playoffs and then go on a push. We were really hoping wed get a little help from some other teams and maybe get in. I think theres a lot of teams that didnt want to play us if we got in.

The Panthers finished with a 44-30-8 record for 96 points, matching the 2014-15 Boston Bruins for most points for a team missing the playoffs. The Panthers were 25-8-2 after the All-Star break Cheap Justin Bethel Jersey , tying the Winnipeg Jets for most victories over the final 35 games.

But Florida couldnt overcome a slow start. The Panthers was 4-8-2 in its first 14 games and played catch-up the whole season. They held a playoff position for one day (after the games of Oct. 12) the entire season.

Were extremely proud of this group, Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. The effort they put forth, especially in the second half of the season 96 points is not easy to do in this league. Its a shame that were not in with that kind of a total. Maybe thats something thats going to even drive us harder next year.

Some things to know about the Panthers disappointing 2017-18 season, and a look to `18-19:

OFFSEASON PRIORITY: The Panthers dont seem to need much after their post-All-Star break performance, particularly since every key member of the team is signed through next season or beyond. The top seven scorers, as well as goalies Roberto Luongo and James Reimer, are signed through the 2019-20 season. If anything, the Panthers could use another scorer and maybe a defenseman, but the team has a solid foundation in place.

YOUTH IS SERVED: Perhaps the biggest reason for optimism for the Panthers looking ahead has to do with a core thats been around for a few years but is still very young. The teams top three scorers Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trocheck and Jonathan Huberdeau and top-four defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Mike Matheson all are 24 or younger.

HOME COOKING: The Panthers season-ending five-game winning streak including a sweep of a four-game homestand that featured games against two of the top four teams in the NHL, the Nashville Predators and the Boston Bruins. A 4-3 victory against the Buffalo Sabres in the home finale helped the Panthers set a franchise record with 27 home victories Billy Price Jersey , breaking the mark of 26 set in 1999-2000.

STILL GOING: Defenseman Keith Yandle completed a ninth consecutive season without missing a game, extending the longest active streak in the NHL to 715 consecutive games. Yandle ended the season with 56 points, one shy of the franchise record for defensemen set by Robert Svehla in 1995-96. His blueline partner Aaron Ekblad tied the franchise mark for defensemen with 16 goals, first set by Jason Garrison in 2011-12.

HOW LONG CAN LUONGO GO? Goalie Roberto Luongo started three games in four nights last week as the Panthers made their final push to the playoffs, and he joined Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy as the only goalies to play 1,000 games when he defeated Boston on Thursday. But he did turn 39 on April 4 and missed 32 games this season because of injuries. The Panthers will have to decide whether they want to come back next season with Luongo and James Reimer as their goaltending duo.

More NHL hockey: .
_________________
http://www.cincinnatibengalsteamonline.com