by What is happening to Ovechkin?
On December 7, Alex Ovechkin notched his 1,500th career point – an assist in a 5-4 loss to Dallas. Ovechkin is only the 16th player in NHL history, and one of only two active players, to reach the milestone. That other player is Sidney Crosby from Pittsburgh. Ovechkin and Crosby, perennial rivals since they were first drafted back-to-back in 2004 and 2005, have charted nearly identical points-earning paths throughout their careers, differing in how they accumulated them. He has given up 966 goals and 567 goals because of Crosby’s play. For Ovechkin, the points combo has always been behind Crosby: 675 assists and 827 goals.
But this year, things are suddenly different.
Ovechkin, now 38, entered this season just 72 goals shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 regular-season goals. But 35 games into the regular season, that record still looks untouchable. In that time, Ovechkin managed to score only seven goals, two of which were placed on empty nets. His latest, an overtime winner against Columbus on Dec. 21 (a classic bomb from the point) was notable in large part because it broke a 14-game goalless drought. Something is up with Ovi – but no one is quite sure what it is.
Speaking to the Washington Post in December, Capitals coach Spencer Carbery appeared to be concerned about Ovi’s scoring problems, admitting that he tried to play Ovechkin with Russian teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov to create a spark, but nothing happened. Even on the power play, Ovechkin has been uncharacteristically quiet, scoring just one goal and the man advantage so far this season. The power play is usually where it’s most dangerous; he scored 14 of his 42 goals last season during one. And his overall shooting percentage is surprising – just 6.2% compared to 14.3% last year (a figure in line with the rest of his career), even though he is at his usual shooting pace. Overall, Ovi is minus-9 on the season.
The team around Ovechkin may have something to do with his poor performance. For example, as The Athletic pointed out in December, the Caps’ power play isn’t much about other than Ovechkin’s preference for shooting from the point, which meant more of Ovi’s shots are expected and that they will be blocked. Partly as a result, the Capitals have one of the worst power plays in the NHL. And as a team, the Caps are well below league average in offensive zone time, shots on goal, and shooting percentage. Put it that way, Ovechkin doesn’t look that bad. You could say Ovi looks bad compared to Ovi.
That is, unless you consider Crosby again. While Ovechkin is struggling in Washington, over in Pittsburgh, Crosby, 36, has scored 21 goals and added 17 assists (registering a 16.7% shooting percentage along the way).
On Tuesday afternoon, Ovi and Crosby faced off for the 67th time in the regular season since entering the NHL, with the Penguins and Capitals tied for points. Already up 3-0 on the Pens, the Caps went on the power play with less than two minutes left in the first. With only 26 seconds left on the lead, Ovechkin shot a wrist shot from the point that found its way in – his eighth of the year. Crosby would score midway through the second period and get an assist a few minutes later, but it wasn’t enough. The 4-3 win moved the Caps to 42 points with an 18-11-6 record on the season – good enough for the second wild card spot in the East. For now, that’s the record that matters.
Top cheese: Made in Michigan
Just before Christmas, Connor Bedard and Trevor Zegras scored goals in their respective games by popping the puck on the toe of their sticks and lofting it into the top corner of the net, over the shoulder of the goalie – known as The Michigan.
The move is borrowed from lacrosse and is named after University of Michigan winger Mike Legg, who scored a goal using the move in 1996 against the University of Minnesota.
But Michigan’s history goes back a little further. Legg first saw the move when he watched AHL journeyman Bill Armstrong do it while teaching at a summer hockey school in London, Ontario. Legg was inspired and reportedly practiced it for months before attempting it in the game that would make him famous. As for Armstrong, he has scored four Michigan goals in his career – including one during a game just the night before Legg’s.
Bedard and Zegras aren’t Michigan’s first to make the NHL. Carolina forward Andrei Svechnikov managed two Michigan-style goals during the 2019-2020 season, while Nashville’s Filip Forsberg also got one in the same year. And Zegras’s Michigan on Dec. 23 was the second of his NHL career; he also scored one against Montreal in early 2022.
Still, two on the same night is indeed special. But maybe we should have seen it coming.
Cup in pursuit
As December began, the Arizona Coyotes defeated the Washington Capitals 6-0, becoming the first team in NHL history to win consecutive games against five previous Stanley Cup winners. Before defeating the Caps, who won the Cup in 2018, the ‘Yotes defeated the Golden Knights (2023), the Lightning (2020 and 2021), the Avalanche (2022), and the Blues (2019). Arizona followed that run with four straight losses, but finished the month at .500 and occupies one wild-card spot in the West. Meanwhile, atop the West, Vancouver and Winnipeg finished 2023 in fine form, both going 7-1-2 in their final 10 games of the year. And then there’s Edmonton, seemingly on the road to recovery, reeling off six straight wins to end December.
In the Atlantic Division, a familiar story is unfolding as Toronto battles two teams from Florida to keep a playoff spot. More interesting is the Metro division, where the Flyers held strong in the race, just ahead of the Islanders, who are still scoring too much and very hard with Carolina. And after a rough start, the Devils are starting to climb back into it, while the Penguins seem to be starting to find their footing.
Bottom residents
Thanks in large part to Bedard, the Chicago Blackhawks are one of the most entertaining teams in recent memory. Chicago, depending on the day, is among the bottom three teams in the NHL, but don’t tell their fans. The team is playing to near sold out home crowds every night at the United Centre. An average of just over 18,800 people watched each Blackhawks home game this season, according to data compiled by HockeyDB, which translates to 95% capacity.
Not surprisingly, teams such as the San Jose Sharks – who, after a few successful games at the beginning of December, returned to their poor form to finish 2023 – and the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have registered only 11 victories them, struggling to withdraw. home crowds. Notably among those teams unable to fill the building, however, is Winnipeg. The Jets are only drawing about 83% of capacity at home games, or just over 12,700 a night – an issue that is partly attributed to pricing.
Around the world hockey
Pittsburgh When Pittsburgh native Logan Cooley was five years old, he stood on the ice with Sidney Crosby. Cooley was one of the first kids in the city to take advantage of the Little Penguins program, which Crosby invented, which outfitted hundreds of youngsters in hockey gear and allowed a handful of ice sessions with the Pens captain. In mid-December, Cooley, now a 19-year-old center for the Coyotes, confronted the man partially responsible for his hockey career.
Chicago As impressive as his goal was in Michigan, he got nothing on Connor Bedard’s overall stats compared to his fellow rookies. Bedard is undoubtedly the best rookie this season. He leads his peers in overall points (32), goals (15), and assists (17). He also has 110 shots, 21 more than the next most prolific rookie shooter, Adam Fantilli. Even when compared to the entire series, Bedard stands out. In 5v5 situations, Bedard has 13 goals this season, tied with Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov and ahead of Sidney Crosby. Only two players, Zach Hyman and all-time scoring leader Auston Matthews, have more with 14 each.
Toronto The Women’s Professional Hockey League launched on New Year’s Day with its inaugural game in Toronto where New York upset the home team in front of a sellout crowd. Ella Shelton scored the league’s first ever goal en route to a 4-0 rout of New York.
Next up on the 72-game regular season schedule is Montreal versus Ottawa on Friday, where a crowd of more than 7,800 is expected – another hopeful sign that this iteration of the pro women’s series will be a permanent one.
