Alex Ovechkin gets brutally honest about countryman Matvei Michkov's performance in his rookie season

Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin had a word of advice for his fellow countryman, Philadelphia Flyers’ right winger Matvei Michkov, after their teams' recent meeting. Ovechkin’s remarks were shared on X by the hockey news site RussianMachineNeverBreaks.com.

“Alex Ovechkin on Matvei Michkov’s rookie season performance: "He’s a great guy, doing well. But I wish he would show off a little less," Ovechkin said on Wednesday.

The Capitals clashed with the Flyers on Feb. 6. Ovechkin, also known as "The Great 8," scored his 879th goal, inching closer to the all-time NHL record set by Wayne Gretzky in 1999. Ovechkin is 15 short of Gretzky's total of 894 but is on track to break the record before the season ends.

Michkov also had a great game, scoring two goals and had a lacrosse-style shot saved by Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren.

The league is on a break for the 4 Nations Face-Off and players not taking part have taken the time to decompress. Ovechkin is headed to Miami for a quick vacation.

In an interview with RG.org’s Sergey Demidov, the Capitals forward talked about Michkov’s rookie season. He also shared his thoughts on chasing Gretzky’s scoring record and the Capitals leading the Eastern Conference.

“Everyone understands why we (are in first place),” Ovechkin said on Tuesday. “We have roster depth, which allows us to rotate and swap lines. It also helps that there are no serious injuries.”

Alex Ovechkin, Matvei Michkov both score as Capitals beat Flyers

Alex Ovechkin and Matvei Michkov were among the scorers for their teams as the Capitals edged the Flyers 4-3. Ovechkin’s goal came at 19:07 in the first period.

"You become a little bit numb to it, but you still, after games, you take a step back and go, this is just incredible how he continues to score at this level, at the age he's at (39)," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said after the game, via NHL.com.

"We just enjoy it, and we're glad he's on our side. It's exciting, and it brings a lot of energy to our team, teammates, coaching staff, to watch what he's doing and continuing to find ways to put pucks in the back of the net."

Michkov’s double and a goal from Tyson Foerster pushed the Flyers to a 3-2 lead heading into the third period; however, goals from Lars Eller and Jakob Chychrun sealed Washington’s 18th comeback win of the season.