When you see Alex Ovechkin’s stats this year, they’re decent for an average player. With 14 points and seven goals, he’s having an OK start to the year. You won’t find him at the top of the scoring lists for goals or points and you won’t even see him near the top of the list in shots on goal.
In short, the superstar Ovechkin is being bottled up and he’s none too pleased about it as Katie Carrera of The Washington Post shares.
“I have chances to score,” Ovechkin said. “My job to score goals, not make the hits.”
Caps coach Bruce Boudreau attributes Ovechkin’s step up in his physical play to the fact that Ovechkin is frustrated. Ovi the grinding forward? Ovechkin the power forward that goal hangs? Not bloody likely, but that’s the role he’s been in of late as he’s seen his shots either missing the net or finding their way into defenders pads and skates.
You’d have to think that things will turn around for Ovechkin, but with the Caps not being the run-and-gun team they used to be and teams studying up more on how to defend Ovi, seeing Alexander the 50-60 goal scorer may not happen again. The Caps being more of a team-oriented operation that can succeed without Ovechkin dominate is nice and all, but not seeing him fill the net the way he used to is a let down.
Of course, with Ovechkin evolving his game, maybe there’s a newer, more physically terrifying goal scorer waiting to be unleashed in D.C.