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Washington Capitals’ Andre Burakovsky Shines Against Childhood Idol

By Diana Driscoll

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Andre Burakovsky had a lot to celebrate after the final buzzer sounded and Game 4 against the New York Rangers was complete. It was his two goals that led the Capitals to a come-from-behind win, pushing the Presidents’ Trophy winners to the brink of elimination.

The goals were Burakovsky’s first ever in the playoffs, and even better, the goals came against his childhood idol: Henrik Lundqvist.

Via NHL.com:

"“Obviously he’s been my favorite goalie since I grew up,” Burakovsky said. “He’s kind of close to my hometown so I’ve been watching him my whole life. It’s a pretty special moment for me to score two goals on Lundqvist in such an important game as this.”"

The 20-year old Burakovsky was born in Austria, but grew up in Malmo, Sweden. No wonder he became so fond of Lundqvist.

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    • The Capitals’ win in Game 4 shifted the pressure to the Rangers, who will now have to win the next three in order to move on. And with the way Braden Holtby has been playing and how the Rangers’ top players have been struggling, it makes their success less likely, but by no means impossible. Remember, the Rangers came back from a 3-1 deficit against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round last year.

    But, right now, I doubt the rookie forward is thinking about anything other than his performance last night, which included five blocked shots. Burakovsky, who spent time playing for the team’s AHL affiliate, got his chance because Eric Fehr was injured in Game 3 in the first round against the New York Islanders. Finally, after struggling to find his game, Burakovsky came through in a big way.

    Via NHL.com:

    "“I’ve been struggling a little with shots and I think I need to shoot more, and the guys have been on me telling me I need to shoot all the time,” Burakovsky said. “Today, I think I had a couple of shots on net that worked out pretty well.”"

    It’s great for a young play like Burakovsky to get to enjoy his first (and second) playoff goal. It is also great news for the Capitals—they are utilizing their depth. The “triple B” line of Burakovsky, Jay Beagle and Troy Brouwer, has produced the team’s offense in the last two games. It wasn’t a lot, a total of three goals, but it was enough to beat the Rangers who just can’t seem to figure out Holtby.

    The Capitals, especially Burakovsky, have a lot to celebrate at the moment. But they also have more work to do to get to the Cup.

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