A three-game skid and a mini slump apparently isn't enough to stop Alex Ovechkin from catching up and having some laughs with friend and fellow countryman Ilya Kovalchuk.

After Kovalchuk's New Jersey Devils shut out Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals 5-0 on Monday night, the two, along with Caps teammate Alex Semin, were heard fraternizing during head coach Bruce Boudreau's press conference, just a few feet away.

Ovechkin, who's mired in a bit of a slump - he's been held goal-less for the past four games and has just two in the past nine - was expectedly somber when he addressed the press after the game, but appeared to be in much better spirits not long after when Boudreau was talking to the media.

The incident didn't play well locally, where CSN Washington's Corey Masisak wrote "there was something that didn't feel right about the way Ovechkin and Kovalchuk were laughing and clearly having a good time while the other players showed little emotion after the contest.

"It's frankly unacceptable for Ovechkin to put himself in a situation where this becomes a story," wrote Masisak.

Ovechkin was demoted to the third line during the second period by Boudreau and played the third period against the Devils on the second line.

A video of Boudreau's press briefing catches the coach glaring Ovechkin's way a couple of times with a displeased look on his face. When asked if it bothered him that two of his top players were happily fraternizing with a player from the opposing team after such a big loss, Boudreau paused before saying "I'll reserve my thoughts on that, if you don't mind."

Whether this incident simply blows over or becomes a big deal remains to be seen, but Washington media were openly wondering whether the team's captain should have put himself in a situation where people question his leadership and dedication.

As Masisak mentioned, a lot of players seek out friends and fellow countrymen from opposing teams after games, but shouldn't do it so close to the media horde, and in not such a boisterous matter, especially after such a one-sided loss.

The Capitals have lost their last three games including two 5-0 blowout losses to the Devils and Atlanta Thrashers.

General Manager George McPhee and majority owner Ted Leonsis were also present in the locker room area where the incident occurred.