Goal of the Year? Alex Ovechkin Scores The Goal, Part II

December 20, 2014 10:50 pm

Photo: Julio Cortez

The greatest scorer in the NHL has done it again.

Alex Ovechkin had gone four games without a goal going into a Saturday, which he must have found unacceptable. Ovi hit the post twice early, but that was just a preamble to what came in the third– one of the most sensational goals in an already superlative career.

Get used to this highlight: you’re gonna see it for years to come.

It was all Ovi. He went solo, Rambo-style, into the Devils zone. Ovi deked Travis Zajac and Jon Merrill. Leaving them in the dust, Ovi lifted the puck behind Cory Schneider as he crashed beyond the goal line.

“Good play,” Ovechkin said of his goal, which, yeah, sure, I guess it was.

Ovi has pulled that move hundreds of times, but in recent years its efficacy has fallen. Something about Ovi on Saturday was different however. He was the best player on the ice, looking as smooth on his skates as he ever has.

“I feel pretty good today,” Ovechkin told the media.

Barry Trotz started Ovechkin as far from the Devils net as much as possible (just 17 percent of his non-neutral shifts came in the offensive zone), but Ovi still managed five shots on goal. Plus two more that rang the post. Plus one more on a failed penalty shot. Domination from the Great Eight.

The goal is Ovechkin’s 437th. He’s now tied with Pavel Bure as the third highest scoring Russian, behind Fedorov and Mogilny, whom I bet he’ll catch next season. Ovechkin is now the 66th highest scorer in NHL history (again, tied with Pavel).

To match Alex’s understated tone, it wasn’t a bad night.