Ovechkin once again left to ponder what might have been

Still stinging after yet another premature exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs, Russian sniper Alex Ovechkin was forced to try to explain what went wrong for his top-seeded Washington Capitals.

And while Ovechkin has been in this position before, having never reached a conference finals in his 11-year NHL career despite eight trips to the postseason, the Washington captain is no more comfortable with the process.

"I'm proud of my team, proud of my teammates," a barely audible Ovechkin said after Tuesday's season-ending loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.