ARLINGTON, Va. -- If Sidney Crosby once again steals thunder from Alex Ovechkin, will history view the Washington Capitals' captain any differently?
If Ovechkin cannot guide his team back from the 3-1 series deficit it faces, with a possible season-ending game set for Saturday night, 7:15 ET, at Verizon Center in Washington, will it somehow diminish all that Ovechkin has accomplished?
Difficult questions, but these are difficult times for the NHL's best regular-season team.
"I think it's too easy for people to attack his legacy if something like this happens," said former Capital and longtime analyst Alan May on Friday after the Capitals went through a spirited workout at their Arlington practice facility.