WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 10: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals shoots and scores his 500th career NHL goal in the second period against the Ottawa Senators at the Verizon Center on January 10, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
Monday night’s game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals got brutal.
While the Caps lost 5-0 on Monday night, they weren’t the biggest losers on the ice. That title goes to Hurricanes young cornerstone Andrei Svechnikov, who got dropped by Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin.
The 19-year-old Svechnikov, who was the second overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft, dropped gloves with Ovechkin in the first period. Previously, they had been pushing and shoving with sticks in Carolina’s offensive zone. Tensions rose and moments later, Svechnikov was out cold on the ice. The 19-year-old was immediately taken care of and helped off to the locker room. He’s expected to miss game four of the series after the fight.
Here’s the video of the two players going at it:
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For the 33-year-old Ovechkin, it proved he can still play dirty if need be. The fight was just the fourth in his career and the first since 2010.
“First of all I hope he is OK,” Ovechkin said of his opponent after the game. “I’m not a big fighter. He’s the same. He asked me to fight. You don’t want to see a guy get hurt.”
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Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour portrayed Ovechkin in a more negative light, saying that Ovechkin took his gloves off first and that their 19-year-old had “never fought in his life, and I’m pretty sure Ovi knew that. So that stuff bothers me.”
Washington leads the series 2-1.
Here are some of the best reactions to the fight:
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