Last season’s first-round sweep by the New York Rangers stung. Alex Ovechkin, held pointless in the series, took it personally. ‘Bothered’ by the outcome, he returned to Russia for an intense summer of training, determined to rewrite the narrative. With the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs underway, the Capitals’ captain is locked in, his eyes fixed on the ultimate prize.

While talking to The Hockey News Ovechkin’s teammate Tom Wilson said, “I went to his birthday dinner in September at the beginning of the year; he wasn’t talking about (Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals) record, but he was talking about having a good crack at the Cup and making it to the playoffs and getting the team there.” That focus has defined Ovechkin’s season, transforming the Capitals from a team that barely made the playoffs last year to Eastern Conference leaders with an impressive 51-22-9 record. In the 2024-25 regular season, he scored 44 goals in just 65 games despite missing 16 due to a broken leg. On April 5, against the Islanders, he made history, surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s 894 career goals to become the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. Add 29 assists for 73 points, and it’s clear that Alex Ovechkin’s age hasn’t caught up with him.

But Ovechkin is not one to sit on his laurels and seems to have already put his regular-season success behind him. “Regular season is over, this is why you play six months, working out, for this kind of moment,” Ovechkin said. “It’s why you work all year hard to be able to be in this position, in this situation. It’s a fun time of the year,” he added. Although he has only one Stanley Cup (2018) to show for it, it was not the only year that the Russian had ‘fun’ in the playoffs.

Don’t get me wrong. Those 15 goals and 12 assists in 27 points were instrumental in bringing the Capitals their first Stanley Cup. Yet, even when things didn’t go the Capitals’ way, Ovechkin still shone bright.

Take his first two trips to the playoffs, for instance. In 2008, he racked up 4 goals and five assists in the first-round seven-game loss to the Flyers. The next year, a 23-year-old Ovechkin inspired the Capitals to a 3-1 series comeback against the Rangers. And even though the Capitals were ultimately stopped in their tracks by the Penguins over a 7-game thriller, Ovechkin finished with 11 goals and 10 assists in 14 games.

As things stand, with a tally of 72, Ovechkin is the leading playoff goalscorer among active players. But he has had his priorities sorted throughout the season. “… There’s a lot of cool stuff that happened, but the whole year, he’s [Ovechkin] been talking about the most important thing being winning,” said Tom Wilson. A second Cup would certainly cap Ovechkin’s storied career. Can he do it? Well, coach Spencer Carbery is sure that people are going to see the Russian in his “beast mode.” But he’s not the only Capitals player who’s going to have eyes on them.

Washington Capitals players, apart from Alex Ovechkin, to watch in Stanley Cup playoffs

As the Washington Capitals gear up to face the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, several players stand out as key figures to watch, including the legendary Alex Ovechkin. With a retooled roster and a top seed in the Eastern Conference, the Capitals are poised for a strong postseason, but their success may hinge on the performances of these pivotal players.

Ryan Leonard, the rookie forward, is an intriguing customer. Although he has only one goal (an empty-netter) to his name till now, Leonard’s gritty, physical style is tailor-made for playoff hockey, as he fearlessly attacks tough areas of the ice. He showed a glimpse of his grit in his debut itself when he flattened the Bruins’ Jeffrey Viel on a backcheck. The No. 8 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft joined the Capitals after an impressive sophomore season at Boston College. Likely starting on the third line with Lars Eller and Andrew Mangiapane, Leonard faces a challenge with limited offensive support, but it also means that he won’t have to play against top defensive pairings.

Goaltending is a question mark for Washington, and Logan Thompson, the presumed starter, is central to their hopes. Thompson outperformed Charlie Lindgren during the season, having recorded a decent .910 save percentage over 43 games compared to the latter’s .896 over 39. But the concern here is his injury. And although he may return as early as Game 1, it will be interesting to see if he is able to get back to his groove as quickly as the Caps need him to.

Returning for his second stint with Washington, Lars Eller brings veteran savvy and Stanley Cup experience from 2018. Centering the third line, his defensive reliability and faceoff prowess will be vital against Montreal’s young, dynamic forwards. Eller’s ability to anchor his line while chipping in offensively could stabilize the Capitals’ depth. The silky-skating center’s goal with 7:37 left in the third period in Game 5 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights provided the Capitals with a 4-3 victory and secured the first championship in Washington’s 43-year NHL history.

With Ovechkin leading the charge and players like Leonard, Thompson, Eller stepping up the Capitals have the depth and star power to make a deep playoff run.