In the caption, as translated by The Washington Post, Ovechkin says he's never hid his relationship with Putin and has "always openly supported him." He's simply taking that a step further on social media.
I’m certain that there are many of us that support Vladimir Putin. Let’s unite and show everyone a strong and united Russia. Today, I want to announce a social movement in the name of Putin Team. Be a part of this team to me it’s a privilege, it’s like the feeling of when you put on the jersey of the Russian team, knowing that the whole country is rooting for you.
Following a win over the New York Islanders later in the day, the Washington Capitals superstar further explained his public support for the Russian President.
"I don’t try to be politics man or someone like that," Ovechkin said. "I just support my president and just support my country because I’m from there, and you know, if people from U.S. came to Russia, they care about what happening in U.S. So, I care about what happening in Russia because that’s my home and that’s where I’m from."
Ovechkin frequently represents his home country in international tournaments, and was very open about his disappointment over not being allowed to play at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea as the NHL will not participate.
DENVER (AP) Semyon Varlamov stopped a career-high 57 shots, Blake Comeau scored the first of Colorado's three second-period goals over a 3:33 span and the Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Thursday night.
Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen also scored in the second for Colorado. Carl Soderberg added a goal, and Patrik Nemeth got his first NHL goal as the Avalanche improved to 5-1 at home. Colorado now embarks on a four-game, 10-day road trip that includes two contests in Stockholm, Sweden.
Varlamov rebounded from a forgettable game in which he allowed seven goals at Vegas last week. He preserved a 5-3 lead in the third by turning back 22 shots.
Victor Rask scored 55 seconds into the game for Carolina, which outshot the Avalanche 60-27. Elias Lindholm and Derek Ryan also had goals.
The Hurricanes pulled goaltender Cam Ward with around 1:45 remaining, but couldn't get anything past Varlamov. His previous high for saves was 54 on Jan. 6, 2015, at Chicago.
Colorado extended its lead to 4-2 in the second when Landeskog scored off a rebound. The Hurricanes challenged the goal, contending that Rantanen's skate may have been offside as Nathan MacKinnon brought the puck into the zone. The replay confirmed the goal and Carolina was assessed a delay-of-game penalty.
The Avs took advantage when Rantanen tipped in MacKinnon's pass 55 seconds later to extend the advantage to 5-2.
Carolina dominated the tempo in the first period, outshooting Colorado by a 22-9 margin.
Rask ignited the Hurricanes with a goal before many of the fans even had a chance to settle into their seats. He scored on a crazy-angle shot that crept in between Varlamov's arm and the post.
After Soderberg and Nemeth found the net for Colorado, Lindholm tied it at 2.
Absent for a third straight game was Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov, a healthy scratch.
''It (stinks) to be in the doghouse,'' lamented Zadorov, who signed a two-year deal at the start of training camp.
Colorado coach Jared Bednar said he's trying to find the right combination along the blue line.
''The plan moving forward is keep him working and help him get better,'' Bednar said.
NOTES: Carolina D Jaccob Slavin is from down the road in Erie, Colorado. He had six shots. ... D Roland McKeown was recalled from Charlotte of the American Hockey League on Wednesday. He was a scratch. ... The Avs are without forwards Gabriel Bourque (upper body), J.T. Compher (hand), Tyson Jost (lower body) and Colin Wilson (hip). ... MacKinnon finished with two assists.
UP NEXT
Hurricanes: At the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday.
Avalanche: At the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
The Columbus Blue Jackets were the most surprising team in the NHL last season, improving their point total by 32 from the year prior. They aren't sneaking up on anybody in 2017-18, but remain near the top of the league's standings. They may not be the flashiest team in the NHL, but from top to bottom, they are the most complete.
Columbus' impressive 9-4 record is no joke. Heading into Thursday's action they ranked second in the NHL in expected goals for percentage at five-on-five, per Corsica.
Despite the even-strength offensive output, their success begins in the crease.
Strength from net out
It all starts with Sergei Bobrovsky, who is further cementing his status as the league's best goaltender. He took home the Vezina Trophy last season as the league's top goalie, and he's playing as though he wants to make it back-to-back.
The team in front of Bobrovsky is making it easier on him this year. Heading into Thursday's games, the Jackets had given up the fourth-fewest high-danger scoring chances against per 60 minutes at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick. Last season, they gave up the eighth-most.
Part of this is due to the maturation of their top D pairing, Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. The young duo has spent more time on the ice together at five-on-five than any other pairing in the league, and have put together a 58.26 Corsi For percentage, per Corsica.
Behind Jones and Werenski, the veteran pairing of Jack Johnson and David Savard have been rock solid. So, too, has former second-overall pick, Ryan Murray. He hasn't come close to reaching expectations, but he's certainly better than most third-pairing blue-liners.
Depth, depth, depth
The Blue Jackets may lack a marquee star player up front, but they have incredible scoring depth. All four lines can contribute. In their win over the Florida Panthers Thursday, 10 of their 12 forwards recorded a point.
Artemi Panarin leads the team with a modest 11 points in 13 games, but they have nine players who have at least seven points. Scoring by committee may give the impression that an offense isn't very good, but having four lines that can be rolled out at any time is incredibly valuable in today's NHL.
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins provide the biggest competition in the Eastern Conference, but both teams have been heavily reliant on the power play this season. When it comes to the playoffs, where fewer penalties are called, Columbus' ability to score at even strength gives them a huge advantage.
Moreover, Tampa has question marks on the back end, and Pittsburgh's search for depth down the middle and a backup goalie continues despite limited cap space.
Over in the West, the St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings seem to be the top dogs. The Blues are amazingly overcoming a glut of injuries, and the Kings continue to win thanks to out-of-this-world play in the crease by Jonathan Quick, despite questionable scoring depth.
All four of these teams are superb, but all have their flaws.
The Blue Jackets aren't perfect, either. They still lack a true No. 1 center (whether Wennberg can be that remains to be seen), but when it comes down to player one to player 23 on the roster, the Blue Jackets are the most complete team in the league.
ST. LOUIS (AP) Michal Neuvirth made 33 saves and Brandon Manning broke a scoreless tie with a second-period goal to lead the Philadelphia Flyers over the St. Louis Blues 2-0 on Thursday night.
Claude Giroux added an empty-net goal with 5.4 seconds left in Philadelphia's first shutout of the season.
St. Louis lost at home for the first time after opening 5-0. The Blues, who earned at least one point in each of their previous seven games, were the only team in the league that hadn't been beaten at home.
Neuvirth, making his fifth start this season, recorded his 11th career shutout and first since Nov. 7, 2015.
Manning fired a shot from the right point that eluded Jake Allen, who made 21 stops. Jakub Voracek provided a screen in front. The shot was originally ruled no goal on the ice before replay officials changed the call.
Neuvirth robbed former teammate Brayden Schenn with a glove save midway through the second period.
The Blues were coming off 10 wins in October, tying a franchise record. They began the night tied with Tampa Bay with an NHL-best 21 points.
NOTES: Philadelphia D Shayne Gostisbehere missed his third successive game with concussion-like symptoms. ... D Will O'Neill made his NHL debut in place of D Radko Gudas, who sustained an upper-body injury Wednesday in Chicago. ... The Blues have allowed an NHL-low four goals in the first period. ... Philadelphia has been shut out three times this season, a league high. ... St. Louis defensemen have scored an NHL-best 14 goals.
UP NEXT
Flyers: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday in the first of three consecutive home games.
Blues: Host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.
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More AP NHL coverage: https://www.apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) Mark Scheifele had a hat trick, Patrik Laine scored his first goal in five games and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Thursday night to extend their points streak to six games.
Laine's goal came after he told reporters at the morning skate that he didn't have a lot of confidence and felt he couldn't do many ''positive things'' on the ice. He has five goals and two assists in 12 games.
The Jets have won three straight to improve to 6-3-2. They are 4-0-2 on the points streak.
Tylers Myers also scored, Blake Wheeler added three assists and Connor Hellebuyck made 21 saves to improve to 7-0-1.
Alexander Radulov scored for Dallas, extending his goals streak to four games. Mattias Janmark also scored, and Ben Bishop stopped 22 shots.
Winnipeg scored three goals in a 4:18 span in the first period, including a pair on the power play.
Scheifele scored once during the first period and twice in the third, sending the hats raining down with an empty-netter with a minute left. He has seven goals this season.
The second period included an early fight between Stars captain Jamie Benn and Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, after Benn took issue with Byfuglien's hard check of Radulov into the boards.
NOTES: Jets forward Kyle Connor had a penalty shot with 4:59 left in the game, but got in close to Bishop and couldn't get off a shot. .... Dallas dropped to 7-6-0, The Stars had won two straight.
UP NEXT:
Stars: Host Buffalo on Saturday night.
Jets: Host Montreal on Saturday night.
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For more AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tags/NHLhockey
Vadim Shipachyov is apparently willing to repay the signing bonus he was given by the Vegas Golden Knights, but the NHL Players Association reportedly wants him to keep it if he lands elsewhere.
Shipachyov has agreed to pay back most of his $2-million bonus even if he's claimed by - or eventually signs with - another club, but the NHLPA is fighting that, multiple sources indicated to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
The issue isn't the repayment of the bonus in general, but rather whether he should have to do so if he becomes a member of a different NHL team, Friedman writes.
Sportsnet's Eric Engels reported earlier Thursday that the Golden Knights want to be sure no other club in the league will claim the Russian forward if he goes on waivers, and Friedman added that the expansion club also wants assurances that Shipachyov won't sign with another NHL team if his current contract is voided.
The NHLPA's position is that if Shipachyov gets claimed, Vegas loses the right to be repaid, and the union apparently doesn't want to set a precedent of players returning "money earned," according to Friedman.
Vegas signed the KHL veteran to a two-year, $9-million contract in May.
For comparison's sake, St. Louis' top defense pairing of Alex Pietrangelo and Carl Gunnarsson combined for 1,057 career games played heading into the matchup.
With the Blues sitting near the top of the NHL standings, the Flyers' back end will surely be tested. Ivan Provorov might need an oxygen mask by the end of the game.
