Washington Capitals and Russia forward Alex Ovechkin blamed his team's defensive carelessness for a 3-1 defeat in the Eastern Conference semifinal series opener against the New York Rangers.
With the scores at 1-1, Ovechkin's Capitals conceded two third-period goals on counterattacks from Chris Kreider and Brad Richards just 90 seconds apart to lose Saturday's game.
"Two mistakes cost us in goals," Ovechkin said. "We talk about how we have to play much better and we have to step up. It’s unfortunate that we lost but we have to regroup and stay tight."
Ovechkin and his Russian team-mate Alexander Semin were given eight penalty minutes taken together.
Ovechkin, who is being widely criticized for his performances this season, suffered constant booing from the stands during Saturday's game.
Ovechkin switched to Capitals from Dynamo Moscow in 2005 to go on to become a 2009 league MVP and five-time All-Star.
He has a record of disciplinary problems, and was suspended for a total of four games in the 2008-09 season for two separate hits on opposition players.
This January he was banned for three games and fined $155,000 for smashing into the head of Penguins defenseman Zbynek Michalek.
The second match of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Monday in New York.
