The Washington Capitals and captain Alex Ovechkin have faced no shortage of criticism for their lack of playoff success during the latter's illustrious 12-year NHL career.
Three-time Stanley Cup winner Evgeni Malkin wants that criticism to stop, and defended his compatriot.
Evgeni Malkin: 'I was a little bit luckier than Ovi that's why I won those Cups. He has everything ahead of him. I wish him to win the Cup'
— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) July 27, 2017
While the Capitals are coming off consecutive Presidents' Trophy wins, Malkin's Pittsburgh Penguins lifted the Cup at the end of each postseason, beating out the Capitals in the second round both years.
The two superstars have had very similar regular-season careers to date, after they were selected with the first two picks of the 2004 draft.
| NAME | DEBUT | GP | G | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malkin | 2006-07 | 706 | 328 | 832 |
| Ovechkin | 2005-06 | 921 | 558 | 1035 |
However, their playoff numbers haven't been nearly as comparable.
| NAME | GP | G | P | Cups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malkin | 149 | 58 | 157 | 3 |
| Ovechkin | 97 | 46 | 90 | 0 |
Malkin also has a Conn Smythe Trophy to his name from Pittsburgh's first of three Stanley Cups during his tenure.
The discrepancy in playoff success did not factor into NHL.com's widely discussed list of 100 Greatest NHL Players, which included Ovechkin but most notably left off Malkin.
It was a snub that Malkin is finding easier to cope with one year later.
Malkin: I was a little bit disappointed when I wasn't included in the list of 100 greatest NHL players but I won the Cup and am happy #Pens
— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) July 27, 2017
Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.