Alex Ovechkin’s goalscoring should be slowing due to his age. Instead Ovi’s leading the league in goals at age 32 and is on pace for over 50 for the eighth time in his legendary career.
One of the reasons why the Russian machine’s production remains 🔥 is due to his prowess on the power play. Ovechkin is lethal from the left face-off circle where he’s scored 37.6 percent of his 580 career goals.
Sunday in the Caps’ 4-3 OT win over the Blues, Ovechkin, from his office, scored his league-leading 27th goal of the season and his 220th career marker on the power play, which ranks him tenth all time.
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Top 🧀! @ovi8#CapsBlues #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/zB5PW9K5rM
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 7, 2018
Ovechkin’s goal came at the 8:00 mark of the third period. After TJ Oshie won a face-off back to John Carlson, the defenseman slid a puck right into Ovechkin’s wheel house.
Ovechkin rifled the puck past Carter Hutton to tie the game 2-2. It only took Ovechkin three seconds to score on the power play.
He was very proud of himself.
Ovechkin also added an PP assist on Brett Connolly’s midair deflection goal in the first period.
After the game, Blues head coach Mike Yeo was asked about Ovechkin’s prowess on the power play and called him a “great player.”
Blues coach Mike Yeo on Ovechkin getting 1G, 1A from his spot on PP:
“Obviously, you game plan against that, but for whatever reason, every team in the League does and he still finds a way to get those shots. That’s obviously a great player making a couple great plays.”— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) January 7, 2018
Meanwhile Blues goaltender called Carter Hutton called The Ovi Shot From The Ovi Spot an “almost unsavable shot.”
Hutton on Ovechkin's shot from his spot on PP:
"I truly think when he hits his spot it’s kind of an almost unsavable shot. I don’t think it’s physically possible when he picks his spot to be able to save it. You have to be cheating or get a piece."— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) January 7, 2018
Both Yeo and Hutton had no answers for Ovi’s greatness, but they’re not alone. No franchise in the league has been able to solve the Russian machine, especially on the power play. We’re going on 13 years and counting.
