F-bombs, Evgeny Kuznetsov fly after Capitals 'finally' overcome Penguins, themselves

Brandon Schlager

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F-bombs, Evgeny Kuznetsov fly after Capitals 'finally' overcome Penguins, themselves image

After Evgeny Kuznetsov scored the Capitals' biggest goal of the last 20 years, at once reversing their cursed playoff history against the arch-rival Penguins and ending Pittsburgh's bid to three-peat, a weight many times heavier than the Stanley Cup visibly lifted off the shoulders of Alex Ovechkin.

The oft-maligned captain tilted his head back, raised his outstretched arms, and exhaled.

Years of pent-up angst and frustration came pouring out as the Capitals mobbed Kuznetsov and celebrated thee 2-1 overtime victory in Monday's Game 6 that punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in Ovechkin's career. He had been 0-3 in head-to-head postseason meetings with Sidney Crosby since the superstars took over the league in the early 2000s. This one, perhaps his last, best shot to get past that hurdle and taste victory, was sweet.

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“Finally, you know? It’s been too long," he said, grinning into a Sportsnet camera after the game. "Finally we beat Pittsburgh and finally we move to the next round. We didn’t go home, we’re not going to vacation, we’re still battling and it’s fun.”

Indeed, Ovechkin can put off that annual return to Moscow, at least for a few more weeks. The Capitals-Penguins playoff rivalry had become known for its ferocity and lopsidedness, but also because of Washington's propensity to choke. Pittsburgh had been 9-1 in their playoff history when facing elimination against the Capitals. And that they finally delivered the dagger on an opponents' ice, saving D.C. from another nervous Game 7 trainwreck, will come to symbolize the accomplishment.

Here are a few of the other euphoric moments from Game 6 Capitals fans won't soon forget.

MORE: On Tom Wilson and becoming an NHL villain

Kuznetsov takes flight

The Capitals' $7.8 million man proved his worth this season as Ovechkin's emerging co-star, and has become one of the more colorful personalities in the NHL. One of his goal celebrations, the walking bird, was retired in 2017, but he brought it back in Game 5 (at the request of his daughter).

Now, it will live on in D.C. sports lore after Kuznetsov flapped his wings again upon scoring the overtime winner on a breakaway against Matt Murray, joining Calle Johansson (1994) as the only Capitals players to score a playoff series-winning goal against the Penguins.

#$@&%*!

There was no shortage of expletives caught on video in the aftermath of the victory, from Ovechkin's candid slip in his TV interview with Pierre McGuire to Kuznetsov's description of Nathan Walker.

"Just f—ing please score," Ovechkin said when asked by McGuire what was going through his head as Kuznetsov took off on the fateful breakaway.

“Like… it’s just emotions right now, you know? It’s an emotional time for us, for our fans, for our organization,” he continued. “Pretty sure lots of expectations of … nobody wants to believe in us this year.”

Kuznetsov, having built an endearing reputation for weaving postgame expletives through spotty English, described the play of Nathan Walker, the first Australian-born player to score in an NHL postseason game, as follows:

"Nathan Walker, he played unbelievable, played like a little mother f—," he said, via ESPN.com. "That's the only one word I have for him."

'It’s almost embarrassing it’s taken this long'

Like his players, Ted Leonsis, who's owned the Capitals since 1999, also is making his first trip to the conference finals.

“I have a lot of faith in the team,” he said, via the Washington Post. “You could really sense, in the end of the season and how we played in the first round, there was a lot of grit and determination. We didn’t panic at all. We did have our moment in the first period when we said, ‘Do we have five rookies playing tonight?’ We thought our window had closed and we were an old team.”

This time, it was different

On Tuesday, the Capitals captured the essence of their evening with one goose-bump-inducing video showing Ovechkin and the team celebrate behind the scenes after the game. If nothing else, it's worth watching for Walker's kangaroo impression.

Brandon Schlager

Brandon Schlager Photo

Brandon Schlager is an assistant managing editor at The Sporting News. A proud Buffalo, N.Y. native and graduate of SUNY Buffalo State, he joined SN as an intern in 2014 and now oversees editorial content strategy.