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PHT Morning Skate: Is Alex Ovechkin’s production on the decline?

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Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists and Corey Crawford made 40 saves as the Blackhawks defeated the Canadiens, 4-2.

--After scoring over 50 goals in each of the last three seasons, Alex Ovechkin is “only’ on pace to score 33 in 2016-17. Based on his Sportsnet’s Andrew Berkshire believes that this could be the start of the 31-year-old’s decline. (Sportsnet)

--Yvan Cournoyer won 10 Stanley Cups during his career, but he still thinks about the one that got away. In 1967, Cournoyer’s Canadiens dropped a six-game series to the underdog Toronto Maple Leafs. “When you’ve already won the Cup (which the Canadiens had the previous two years), you think you’re going to win it again. The mistake we made is that we didn’t respect the Leafs. It was a good lesson for me to think, ‘Hey, I know you can win the Stanley Cup, but you’re going to have to work harder for it.’” (NHL.com)

--It’s no secret that the Avalanche have been brutal this season. The people at BarDown have accumulated four stats that show just how bad they’ve been. For example, they’re on pace to lose more games in regulation (56) since the Atlanta Thrashers lost 57 games in their expansion season. (BarDown)

--The Chicago Blackhawks picked up a big 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens last night. The victory allowed the ‘Hawks to jump ahead of the Minnesota Wild for top spot in the Central Division. You can watch the highlights from the game by clicking the video at the top of the page.

--Wild coach Bruce Boudreau had some tie troubles during last night’s game against the Washington Capitals, and the internet totally freaked out. (The Score)

--Islanders minority owner Charles Wang believes that to grow the game in China, kids need to be playing the sport. “The love of any sport...it really starts with the children playing the sport. When they play the sport, they become the best.” Check out Wang’s one-on-one interview with ESPN.

--Hockey players are known for their weird superstitions and Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw is no exception. Between periods, Shaw is always the first one out of the locker room. He does some stretching, performs a few phantom faceoffs and he lunges out with his stick. “I guess I started it about eight years ago back in juniors. I just smash my stick on my shin pads seven times. Go down and get in the faceoff position, do two on the backhand, one on the forehand. Spin the stick to loosen up the wrists. Get a good stick going … just trying to loosen up everything.” (Montreal Gazette)