NHL scores 2015: Ovechkin rattles and hums in Pittsburgh, Stars trick Blues

Ovechkin flipped the script.

Feb 18, 2015, 1:00 PM UTC

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It's sort of funny how the narrative regarding Alex Ovechkin has both changed and remained the same at the same time.

For a brief two- or three-year period there, the Washington Capitals' star was lambasted for a perceived lack of care. At the time, the criticisms focused on his apparent disinterest in committing to defense in his own zone, or disregard for any coaching or media critiques thrown his way.

The waves of negativity rolling his way were strong for a long time. Meanwhile, his production on the ice never wavered and he remained one of the NHL’s elite players.

Now, the talk around him is infinitely more positive. Ovechkin’s eccentricities are mostly celebrated, and his defensive lapses are forgiven by the public for his offensive capabilities and quirky personality. Whatever the reason for the shift, it’s resulted in ironic days like Tuesday.

Ovechkin spent the morning nonchalantly shrugging off criticisms from Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf, then went out and scored his league-leading 37th goal in Pittsburgh. Before the night was out, he had injured a Penguin, riled up the opposing team and got beer poured on him. And he just shrugged it off again.

What a supreme, daylong display of Not Giving A Shit from Alex Ovechkin.
— Sean Gentille (@seangentille) February 18, 2015

And isn’t that exactly what he was cut down for not two seasons ago? Ovechkin has somehow managed to go from someone whose reputation is questioned for not caring on the ice to someone who is celebrated for not caring what people think both on and off the rink. He flipped his own narrative without us even knowing it happened.

Something tells me he knows it, too. Just look at that grin.

Scores

Islanders 4, Hurricanes 1

Capitals 3, Penguins 1

Blue Jackets 5, Flyers 2

Devils 2, Sabres 1 (SO)

Panthers 3, Maple Leafs 2

Stars 4, Blues 1

Predators 5, Sharks 1

Three things we learned

1. Jamie Benn stepped up for Dallas.

The Stars are in a bind at the moment, stuck at the back end of the Western Conference wild card race without Tyler Seguin in the lineup for the rest of the regular season. Against teams like the Blues, they need their captain to carry a huge amount of the load. And Jamie Benn did just that, scoring his first career hat trick in St. Louis to lead Dallas to victory and an important two points.

2. Pekka Rinne has literally made an unbelievable save every night for the past week.

Trust me. I know. I’ve had to write about every single one of them. But I have to say the one he made against San Jose on Tuesday takes the cake: five stops in ONE sequence!

3. NBC chose to show the most boring possible matchup on a night full of excitement.

Don’t get me wrong. You can count me as part of the crowd that complains NBC gives too much coverage to the likes of Pittsburgh, Washington, Chicago and the like. But the one night they do ignore the Caps and Pens, they go with the Sabres and Devils? Not the Sharks and Preds? How about the Blue Jackets and Flyers or Stars and Blues? There’s probably a reasonable ratings or TV market explanation for their choice, but as a casual observer it was a perplexing decision.

Impact Moment

Alex Ovechkin totally got away with this violent slash that injured Kris Letang, almost ignited a line brawl and got beer poured on him in the span of two minutes. And he couldn't care less.