In Anaheim Sunday, the Ducks had no answers for the Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin who scored twice and added two assists in a 5-3 win for the Caps.
“It was a very important game for us mentally, because [Peters] was in net,” Ovechkin said. “We want to get his confidence back. Everybody played hard, especially because of the way we played yesterday. We didn’t get any success, but right now we did what we had to do.”
It was a better outcome for Washington than Saturday’s loss to the Los Angeles Kings.
For Anaheim it was a disappointing effort where they left one of the NHL’s best alone far too often to set up his office in the circle.
“We’re just at that point in the year where we have to be mentally stronger,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. “We need to get that mojo back that we had throughout the start of the season.”
The Caps traveled with players’ fathers in the crowd so the win was a better treat than the 3-1 loss in LA.
“This was a dad’s treat,” Ovechkin said. “We didn’t get success yesterday, but tonight I think we made them happy, and right now it’s a great atmosphere in the locker room.”
Ovechkin’s success in Anaheim suggests he enjoys southern California play.
“He likes California,” Washington coach Barry Trotz said. “Sometimes I found with my first year with Ovi, either the bigger the stage or the bigger the importance of the game, the bigger he plays, and that’s rare … that’s what being a star player in this League is. You’re not afraid of the spotlight. You’re not afraid of criticism. You’re not afraid of what the game presents. You just go out there and get the job done.”
Prior to the start of the game, the Ducks and Caps as well as the arena paused for a moment of silence for former Ducks defenseman Steve Montador, who died Sunday?
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