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Ovechkin-blaming is especially silly this time around

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Capitals' Alex Ovechkin speaks with media following the team's OT elimination in Game 6.

Let’s be honest ... there’s only so much one can do to stop the same old stories from gathering momentum.

For plenty, Alex Ovechkin will always be a “choker” unless he wins a Stanley Cup, something that was certainly mentioned after Pittsburgh’s 4-3 OT win against Washington.

Just about anyone who watched this Capitals - Penguins series likely realizes that Ovechkin wasn’t the problem for Washington, though.

Even if you ignore massive shot attempt and hits numbers, Ovechkin produced at an impressive level.

He generated two assists in Game 6 and collected seven points during this six-game series. He also managed 12 points in as many 2016 playoff games.

(His career is impressive overall: 82 points in 84 playoff games.)

Still, some just won’t be able to resist the urge to needle Ovechkin and his supporters.

If you’re just aching to blame someone, there are other places to look ...

Perhaps Evgeny Kuznetsov deserves some scorn for a quiet stream of playoff games, although one can only wonder if an injury might explain his precipitous drop.

Brooks Orpik could conceivably be fitted for goat horns after getting suspended for three games and then being guilty of the high-sticking double-minor that opened the door for two Penguins power play goals.

And, hey, Barry Trotz has been around forever but has never advanced beyond the second round ...

Is any of this fair? Not really, but that’s the point.

Instead of focusing on the negatives, you could also pivot to the winning team. That Matt Murray kid turned out to be quite the story, right? The Penguins produced 16 goals in this series thanks to the work of Nick Bonino and Ovechkin’s scapegoated cousin Phil Kessel.

Unfortunately for Ovechkin, moments like these will stick with plenty of people, even though he enjoyed a great run: