Rookie winger Andrei Svechnikov has finally spoken on when he was knocked out by a thunderous right from Alex Ovechkin in their Game 3 tilt.
The Hurricanes forward spoke with reporters on Saturday morning and said that he didn't pick the fight with Ovechkin.
Ovechkin knocked the 19-year-old Russian out in the first period of action, leaving him unconscious on the ice. Svechnikov has not suited in a game since, and will not play in Game 5 on Saturday night. He practiced with the team wearing a full cage and a yellow non-contact jersey at their morning skate ahead of Game 5. He's hopeful to play in Game 6 on Monday.
According to Svechnikov, Ovechkin, who is an inch taller and forty pounds heavier than his countryman, reached out to him following the game to talk about the fight. Did Ovi apologize?
“Yeah, a little bit, you know. I said like ‘Sometimes it happens, you never know.’”
The two exchanged slashes, chirps and hits in the first two games of the series, and finally dropped the gloves.
It was Svechnikov's first career NHL fight, while Ovechkin dropped the mitts for the first time since 2010.
