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Ovechkin made his physical presence felt against the Flyers

Alex Ovechkin is among the greatest offensive players of his generation, but what the Flyers saw in their six-game Stanley Cup series loss to Washington Capitals was his overall impact on a hockey game.

At 6-foot-3 and 239-pounds, Ovechkin is also among the most physical players in the NHL and he certainly showed that during this series.

Ovechkin led the Capitals with 28 hits. (By comparison, Wayne Simmonds led the Flyers with 22 hits).

It didn't take long for Ovechkin to make his phyiscal presence felt. In Game 1, he knocked Flyers center Sean Couturier out for the series, with a powerful but clean hit. No penalty was called and Couturer suffered an upper body injury. His absence was greatly felt.

In that game, a 2-0 Capitals win, Ovechkin had four hits and he continued hitting throughout the series.

Ovechkin also was a major offensive factor, with three goals and two assists. He had an assist on the lone goal in Sunday's 1-0 elimination game win over the Flyers.

"I feel like he played a hell of a series," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said of Overchkin. "He was physical two-way player. He affected every game whether or not it was offensively."

Ovechkin says besides administering hits, he and his teammates took their share.

"We have some bruises," said Ovechkin, who has 525 regular season goals and 39 more in the playoffs. "We have to mentally forget about this series and focus on the next one."

That will come against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Capitals coach Barry Trotz said one of Ovechkin's many attributes is the way his physical style wears an opponent down, especially during a playoff series.

"I know a few of their defensemen were exhausted from trying to handle him and when he steps up there are very few guys you can think of in the league that have the amount of ability," Trotz said. "You think of Alex Ovechkin as a sniper, one of the top snipers maybe of this decade."

Trotz felt that Ovechkin was on top of his game the entire series.
"When he raises that level it's a challenge for anybody in the National Hockey League," Trotz said. "We're very fortunate to have him."