It wasn’t just Ovie’s pride that was hurt
Russian hockey officials announced Thursday that Capitals star Alex Ovechkin played through injury before Washington was eliminated from the NHL playoffs in the second round by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Ovechkin finished the playoffs dealing with a lower-body injury that required pain- numbing injections, the Russian Hockey Federation said in noting that Ovechkin would not be able to play for his country at the world championship in Europe because of it. A person with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed the injury and treatment to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced it.
Ovechkin never let on that he was playing hurt. He had five goals and three assists in 13 playoff games as the Capitals flamed out again, eliminated in seven games by the defending Stanley Cupchampion Penguins.
Russia also said Capitals centre Evgeny Kuznetsov and defenceman Dmitry Orlov would play at the world championship, which are going on in Paris and Cologne, Germany. Kuznetsov and Orlov are restricted free agents who need new NHL contracts for next season, something that often leads players to decline an invitation to play for their national team.
SENATORS GIVEN LONGEST ODDS FOR STANLEY CUP VICTORY
The Ottawa Senators are underdogs, no question. According to Bodog, an online betting site, their odds of winning the Stanley Cup are 11-2, worst of the four remaining teams in the NHL playoffs.
Pittsburgh has been 8- 5 odds, followed by Anaheim and Nashville at 11-4.
But the Senators may find some billboard-type material from an unlikely place — Washington.
In his lament about the Capitals losing yet again to Pittsburgh, Washington Post columnist Thomas Boswell didn’t think much of the Senators.
“As an extra penalty,” Boswell wrote in Wednesday’s edition of the Washington Post, “the Caps get to gaze at the highway strewn with rose petals that the Penguins now have ahead of them for consecutive Cups.”
SABRES HIRE PENGUINS’ BOTTERILL AS GENERAL MANAGER
Jason Botterill is leaving the Pittsburgh Penguins’ bid to defend their Stanley Cup title for an opportunity to build the Buffalo Sabres into a contender as general manager.
The Sabres hired t he Penguins’ associate GM on Thursday to lead a franchise that owner Terry Pegula criticized for lacking structure and discipline. Botterill takes over three weeks after Tim Murray was fired. His first priority will be hiring a coach to replace Dan Bylsma, who was also sacked in the Sabres’ second frontoffice housecleaning in 3 ½ years.
BLACKHAWKS RE- SIGN FORWARD PANIK TO TWO- YEAR DEAL
The Blackhawks have rewarded Richard Panik for a breakout season by re- signing him to a two- year deal that runs through 2018-19.
The 26- year- old Panik set career highs with 22 goals, 22 assists and 44 points in his first full season in Chicago. Panik showed he could play on the top line and scored 18 even- strength goals, fourth on the team, and general manager Stan Bowman applauded the Slovak forward’s consistency throughout the season.