After years of constantly getting knocked out early in the playoffs, the Washington Capitals are finally getting the chance to play in the Eastern Conference Finals, facing off against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Game 1 has already been decided, with the Capitals taking the lead in the series after a commanding 4-2 victory. Even though this Capitals squad isn’t as dominate as previous rosters, they’ve been playing some of their best hockey this postseason. Led by captain Alex Ovechkin, they’re looking like they might actually get to capture that elusive Stanley Cup. Ovechkin’s dominance throughout this postseason has provided numerous benefits to both the Capitals and fantasy teams alike.

Everyone already knew that Ovechkin was a force to be reckoned with, as he is the best goal scorer of the last decade. It was difficult to narrow down expectations for him though this regular season after finishing with only 33 goals and 69 points in the year before. There were (rightfully) concerns that age was catching up to the 32-year-old Ovechkin, and his time as an elite player in the NHL was coming to an end.

82 games later and those thoughts look completely ridiculous. Ovechkin was one goal shy of hitting the 50-goal mark for the eighth time in his career and he actually scored the most points in a season since 2010. With the way he was playing during the regular season, entering the playoffs there was little doubt that Ovie would be able to continue to dominate.

Two weeks ago I talked briefly about Ovechkin and his stellar first-round performance and to this date he’s been able to keep it up. In the first game of the Lightning series Ovechkin scored a goal and added an assist, scoring this beauty on the power play.
 

And through the entire postseason, our Fantasy Hockey Geek tool ranks him as the most valuable player out of all skaters (using an average Yahoo league measuring goals, assists, shots on goal, power-play points, and hits).
 

His nine goals are tied for the third most in the playoffs and are the most by any remaining player in the playoffs. His eight assists are only tied for the 15^th most but together Ovechkin is tied for the fourth-most points in the league. His 53 shots are good for the second most in the NHL as only him and Filip Forsberg have taken over 50 shots on net. What makes Ovechkin really valuable though (like any other year) is his combination of physicality and goal scoring, as he’s ranked ninth overall in total hits by any skater. Him and Jake Guentzel are the only players to have over five goals and at least 25 hits, and Guentzel barely even comes close to the number of hits Ovechkin has.

It’s not too surprising to hear that Ovechkin is having an excellent playoffs, but even with plenty of other stars making the postseason, Ovechkin has shined brightest. The Caps can thank their captain for putting on a great performance to propel to the Conference Finals for the first time in ages.