It's one of the most talked about storylines in hockey, and yet it still seems surprising.

Stop us if you've heard this before: Alex Ovechkin has never advanced past the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in his 13-year NHL career.

We can debate the reasons why until the cows come home, but the fact remains that despite producing at nearly a point-per-game clip in the postseason, the superstar's Washington Capitals teams haven't ever gone on a deep run.

Standing in his - and their - way yet again are the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have knocked Ovechkin's squad out of the second round in both of the two previous campaigns. The Penguins have actually done it three times in the last nine years, and in every case, went on to win the Stanley Cup (2009, 2016, and 2017).

In these playoffs, Ovechkin willed his club to a six-game first-round win over the Columbus Blue Jackets after the Capitals fell into a 2-0 series deficit in their own building. He guaranteed they'd return to Washington tied after four games (which they ultimately did), and helped Washington become the first team ever to win a series after dropping the first two at home in overtime.

Is this the year he finally gets into the third round?

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