Ovechkin Gets Nothing for Gonchar Hit

"I didn't try [to] hurt him": Ovechkin

Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin will not receive a suspension or fine for his knee-on-knee hit on Pittsburgh Penguins No. 1 defenseman Sergei Gonchar, according to several sources.

According to Ovie, it was an accident. 

"I tried to hit him with my shoulder and he just moved left (into) the same spot," Ovechkin told reporters after the game.  "I wanted to hit him, but I don't want hurt him, especially knee on knee."

Ovie was issued a two-minute minor penalty for tripping during the game for the incident.  But does Ovie deserve a bigger punishment?

Several Pittsburgh players weren't shy about saying Ovechkin purposely tried to hurt his onetime Russian Olympic teammate, the AP reported.

"It's kind of the same thing he (Ovechkin) did with me last game," said Pittsburgh defenseman Brooks Orpik. "I mean, you can run guys, guys are fair game, but the guy takes strides every time and leaves his feet a lot of times, too. To us, we got the feeling he's really trying to hurt guys at times."
 

Still, Pittsburgh won the game, 5-3, on Friday and evened the Eastern Conference semifinal series at two games apiece.

As for the NHL, we’re not sure it would even have the guts to suspend arguably its best player and biggest drawing attraction, the National Sports Review states, adding: "We don’t like conspiracy theories but with the NHL, you never can be sure of anything."

The extent of Gonchar's injury has not been announced, but the Penguins have recalled defenseman Alex Goligoski from their farm team in Wilkes-Barre, reports the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.  He is expected to be in the lineup for Game 5 of the team's second-round playoff series against Washington tonight at 7:08 p.m. at the Verizon Center.   

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