Alexander Ovechkin isn't fooling around anymore.
The All World talent and Washington Capitals captain isn't happy that his team has missed two chances to bounce the New York Rangers from the 2015 NHL Playoffs after racing out to a 3-1 series lead and he's willing to make that known.
He's also willing to guarantee to Capitals fans that the Washington season won't end at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.
"We're going to come back and win the series," Ovechkin said, per James O'Brien of Pro Hockey Talk. "We're going to play our game and we're going to come back and we're going to play Montreal or Tampa."
This came after he said earlier in the interview that the Capitals showed the character of their group by almost coming back to tie Game 6 and that they'd "come back and win the series" meaning, as Alex Prewitt of The Washington Post points out, that Ovechkin essentially doubled down on his semi-guarantee.
It's not really surprising that perhaps the best player in the world and Washington's team captain would be confident in his side's chances, but it's usually ill-advised to provide the opposition with bulletin-board material or to make any type of definitive proclamation about the outcome of what will undoubtedly be a difficult, hard-fought game.
There's also the fact that Ovechkin has zero points in the last four games to consider, along with a spotty overall NHL playoff track record, so it seems Ovie would probably be better off just keeping his mouth shut and saving any and all confidence-building efforts for on-ice during Game 7.
In Game 6, the big, bad Russian managed just six shots on goal, while four were blocked and two missed the net.
Since his amazing diving goal in Game 2, he has not scored.
"We know we have to step up," Ovechkin said, per Chuck Gormley of CSN Washington. "We know we have to play better. We had chances, but it starts with myself. I have to create more opportunities in front of the net and use the body and try to get shots through."
Ovechkin hasn't gone this long without a goal since December. Thanks to the efforts of Rangers defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi, Ovechkin has looked all too human thus far against New York.
If the Caps are to emerge victorious and advance to the quarterfinals, Ovie will have to pace the Caps in Game 7.
It's a situation Ovechkin seems ready for.
"Play our best," he said, when asked what the Caps need to do to win Game 7. "Give everything. And we're going to do it."
