The Edmonton Oilers were ousted by the Anaheim Ducks in Game 7 on Wednesday night and were left wanting more from some of their secondary weapons.
The three men listed above can't be faulted in the playoffs and especially in the second round. The trio combined for 16 of the Oilers' 34 goals in the postseason, accounting for 47.1 percent of Edmonton's tallies.
As for their second-round series, the three scored 12 of the team's 24 goals - or half. Those performances are remarkable and deserve to be applauded, but for the remainder of the Oilers' cast, what happened?
Here's how a handful of forwards fared on the score sheet in the team's 13 games:
Player
G
PTS
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
0
4
Jordan Eberle
0
2
Benoit Pouliot
0
0
David Desharnais
1
4
Milan Lucic
2
6
What hurts most is that during the regular season these five players combined for 75 goals and 172 points.
The Oilers took a huge step this campaign in returning to the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, but the club will head into the offseason wanting more, more from players who had been there during the regular season.
With Anaheim's win in Game 7 over the Edmonton Oilers and the Ducks now off to the Western Conference Final, the Stars now own the Ducks' first-round pick in this year's draft after trading Patrick Eaves out west at the deadline.
The trade was for a 2017 second-round pick with the following condition:
If Anaheim advances to the Western Conference Final, and Eaves plays in at least half of their games in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Stars get the Ducks' first-round pick in the 2017 draft.
Eaves played in only three games against the Oilers before being hurt, but suited up in seven of the Ducks' 11 games, hence the condition being activated.
With 11 goals in 20 regular-season games and another two in the postseason, the price is one the Ducks will surely have no issue paying.
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Nick Ritchie scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and the Anaheim Ducks ended their streak of five straight Game 7 losses with a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night, advancing to the Western Conference finals for the second time in three years.
Andrew Cogliano scored the tying goal midway through the second period for the Ducks, who had blown a 3-2 series lead and lost a Game 7 on home ice in four consecutive seasons.
After a rally from an early deficit and a strong defensive performance to back John Gibson's 23 saves, the Ducks ended their ignominious streak and moved halfway to the franchise's second Stanley Cup title.
Anaheim will host the Nashville Predators in Game 1 of the conference finals Friday night.
Drake Caggiula got credit for a goal 3:31 into the first period for the Oilers, and Cam Talbot made 28 saves. Edmonton's first playoff run since 2006 ended with four losses in five games, but the Oilers' young talent seems certain to make them a major factor in the West for years.
The time is now for the five-time Pacific Division champion Ducks on the 10-year anniversary of their 2007 championship.
They showed grit and guile while bouncing back from a blowout loss in Game 6 and yet another early deficit in a seventh game, silencing the echoes of past winner-take-all events. Anaheim hadn't won a Game 7 since 2006, when they were still the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
Ritchie, the 21-year-old power forward in his first playoff campaign, fired a beautiful wrist shot past Talbot on a pass from Corey Perry 3:21 into the third period. Ritchie's second career playoff goal put the Ducks ahead in a Game 7 for the first time in five years - and ahead of the Oilers for the first time in nearly 193 minutes since late in Game 4.
Captain Ryan Getzlaf ended a monster series without a point on his 32nd birthday, but he contributed to a stellar defensive effort against NHL scoring champion Connor McDavid, who went scoreless in Game 7 and managed just five points in the series.
Edmonton took an early lead when young Anaheim defenseman Shea Theodore curiously tried to carry the puck out from behind the Ducks' net and right in front of Gibson. Caggiula skated up and challenged Theodore, who appeared to whip the puck accidentally backward and past Gibson.
The now-familiar hush of fear fell over Honda Center, and it grew when Anaheim took a penalty late in the first. But the Ducks killed the power play spanning the intermission and then gradually increased their push.
Cogliano finally cashed in for the Ducks when he slipped in front of Talbot and hacked home his first goal of the postseason. Cogliano ended a personal 13-game playoff goal drought for the speedy ex-Oilers forward who hasn't missed a game in his entire 10-year NHL career.
Anaheim outshot Edmonton 16-3 in that dominant second period but couldn't take the lead. At least the Ducks didn't face a multi-goal deficit heading to the third for the first time during their five-year streak of Game 7 drama.
NOTES: D Oscar Klefbom returned to Edmonton's lineup after missing Game 6 with an upper-body injury. ... Anaheim was without two key injured veterans. D Kevin Bieksa missed his sixth straight game, while F Patrick Eaves missed his fourth straight game with a leg injury. The late-season acquisition has played in a Game 7 seven times in his career, most among the Ducks. ... Mike Trout and Garrett Richards crossed Katella Avenue from Angel Stadium to watch the game.
After the Edmonton Oilers opened the scoring in the first period, the Ducks put their foot on the gas, outshooting the Oilers 16-3 in the second period, ultimately knotting the game at 1-1 on a goal by Andrew Cogliano.
The Ducks hadn't won a Game 7 since 2006 against the Calgary Flames - until Wednesday night.
Ritchie's goal ended up the game and series winner, and the Ducks are off to the Western Conference Final against the Nashville Predators.
Whatever you're going to tweet about Alex Ovechkin ... don't. Step away from your phone. Go to bed early, deal with it Thursday. It's not worth it. You're mad, you're hurting. And you know the rule: Never tweet emotionally. Because placing all the blame at Ovechkin's feet and his alone for this latest heartbreaking, soul- and dream-crushing Washington Capitals playoff defeat is the easy way out.
This was another collective Washington failure. That it came against the Pittsburgh Penguins adds insult to injury. It's tough to accept, and it's going to hurt for a long time in D.C., but here are three reasons why Ovechkin doesn't deserve the crap he's undoubtedly going to get over the next few days, weeks, and months.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Fleury was better than Holtby
Washington goaltender Braden Holtby's track record in the playoffs is amazing. At least it was, until these playoffs.
The Capitals' rock in goal simply didn't have it this spring. He departs the postseason with a .909 save percentage and a 7-6 record in 13 games.
Check out his playoff numbers in years past:
Playoffs
GP
SV%
2016-17
13
.909
2015-16
12
.942
2014-15
13
.944
2012-13
7
.922
2011-12
14
.935
Opposite Holtby, Marc-Andre Fleury was stellar. He is the story of the playoffs. And he out-goaltended Holtby. It's simple as as that. And, hey, it happens. Holtby's still one of the best goalies in the league.
What was Trotz saving Ovie for?
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
In the most important game in the 12-year Ovechkin era, Capitals head coach Barry Trotz decided to give six forwards more ice time than No. 8. Six!
Sure, Ovechkin was on the ice for both Penguins goals, but if Trotz wasn't ready to ride his horse in Game 7 against the Caps' nemesis in Washington's all-in, Stanley-Cup-or-bust season, he never will be.
Rank
Player
Ice Time
EV Ice Time
1
Nicklas Backstrom
21:58
19:44
2
T.J. Oshie
22:38
20:00
3
Marcus Johansson
19:33
16:52
4
Justin Williams
19:51
18:02
5
Andre Burakovsky
19:19
17:51
6
Evgeny Kuznetsov
19:18
17:21
7
Ovechkin
18:22
15:09
8
Lars Eller
13:07
11:56
9
Tom Wilson
13:03
12:26
With all due respect to Mr. Trotz, there's no world in which Johansson and Burakovsky should be playing that much more than Ovechkin, both in general and especially at even strength.
Even more inconceivably, this was Trotz's gameplan from puck drop. Ovie played only 5:01 in the first period, according to NHL.com's Arpon Basu. At home, in Game 7, with momentum on the Caps' side after two straight wins to tie the series, why wasn't Ovechkin out there more often?
No. 8 saw 7:08 of ice time in the third period, with his team on the ropes, but as NHL.com's Dan Rosen notes, 2:26 of that was with Holtby on the bench and the Caps up 6-on-5.
You can argue that Ovechkin is no longer the Capitals' best player, but you can't argue that Ovechkin isn't one of the greatest goal-scorers of all time. His team needed a goal in the third, a period it entered trailing 1-0. And with the season - with everything - on the line, Trotz couldn't be bothered to play his captain:
@drosennhl He sat for 4:43 straight after he was on for the Hornqvist goal, so he played 1:13 of the first 8:57 of the third period.
Well, he's finally lost one. In fact, Mr. Game 7 failed to find the net in seven games against the Penguins. Ditto Johansson and Lars Eller. Oshie managed a single goal in the series, in Game 6. After three big goals in the first round, Tom Wilson put up zeroes versus the Pens.
Ovechkin had five points in seven games. Not great, but better than a number of his teammates. And he didn't have his best game Wednesday - but neither did his teammates.
"Tonight, I don't think we gave ourselves a chance," Holtby said after his season ended, according to NBC4 Sports' Carol Maloney. "And we're going to have to live with that."
After three straight 50-plus goal seasons, there's no doubt Ovechkin looked a step slower this season. He wasn't the five-on-five force we're used to him being. Time comes for us all. But to suggest that Ovie alone shoulders all the blame after another Capitals flameout is far too simplistic and - frankly - far too stupid a conclusion.
Evgeni Malkin must have had this tweet saved in his drafts.
While the Pittsburgh Penguins were in the midst of losing Game 6 of their second-round series against the Washington Capitals, former NHL goalie and noted character Ilya Bryzgalov took to Twitter to draw a premature conclusion.
Once the dust had settled on a Game 7 win for the Penguins, Malkin extended his countryman the courtesy of an invite to the Eastern Conference Final.
There's going to be a lot of soul-searching in Washington once again this summer.
For the second straight season, the Capitals have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs courtesy of the Pittsburgh Penguins, this time after being shut out on home ice in Game 7.
Immediately following the loss, head coach Barry Trotz was unable to comment on the performance of Alex Ovechkin.
"Emotionally right now, I don't want to answer that question," Trotz said, per Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports. "I think 'you win or lose as a team' is probably my best answer right now.
"Emotionally, I don't think I want to answer that question right now."
The captain recorded four shots on goal in 18:22 of ice time - seventh among Capitals forwards - in the decisive loss.
For the playoffs, Ovechkin registered five goals and three assists in 12 games, and still has yet to advance past the second round.
The club suffered a 2-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the deciding game, and while it was certainly a big missed opportunity, Backstrom feels the writing was on the wall much earlier in the series.
"We didn't lose the series tonight, we lost it in the first three games, four games," Backstrom said, according to NHL.com's Katie Brown.
While it doesn't make up for the team's poor Game 7 outing, Backstrom's opinion isn't exactly wrong. The Penguins jumped out to a 3-1 series lead, outscoring the Capitals by a 14-9 margin. Despite dominating Games 5 and 6, Washington couldn't win the all-encompassing seventh game.
So while you can't win a series in three of four games, it appears you can lose it.
But that's exactly what the goaltender has done, thanks to a Game 7 win over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday in which he recorded the ninth playoff shutout of his career.
In truth, Fleury wasn't supposed to add to his postseason numbers as a member of the Penguins, seeing as he had been relegated to the bench in favor of Matt Murray during last year's playoffs. The rookie supplanted the veteran after the latter fell prey to a late-season injury, and made good on the opportunity by leading the Penguins all the way to a Stanley Cup win.
The prevailing belief was Fleury would be moved last summer, but, to his credit, general manager Jim Rutherford held on, just in case. And so Fleury fell into the unfamiliar role of backup, yet without losing his trademark smile.
And as it happened, Murray himself suffered an injury prior to Game 1 of a first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets back in April, leaving head coach Mike Sullivan to hand the reins back to Fleury.
And through two series victories, Fleury - playing behind a Penguins blue line that's been decimated by injuries - has posted a record of 8-4 with a save percentage of .927, putting himself firmly in the Conn Smythe Trophy conversation as playoff MVP.
This postseason could very well be it for Fleury in Pittsburgh, with an expansion draft coming up and perhaps an ever-growing line of trade suitors based on his play over the past few weeks. Sullivan could even turn to a healthy-again Murray for the third round seeing as he's the de facto starter, but that seems unlikely at this point.
The reality is the Penguins weren't favored to topple the Capitals this time around, and Fleury is a huge reason why they came out on top once again.
No matter how many more times he puts on that jersey, he's certainly making the most of it, and earning a huge amount of respect as a result.
