For all the problems the Capitals had in the first quarter of the season, Alex Ovechkin was one of the few consistent bright spots. After winning his first Stanley Cup, Ovi had every reason to have a hockey hangover. Instead, the Russian machine came into camp in great shape and has continued his legendary goal-scoring pace during his age 33 season.
So far this year, Ovechkin has 16 goals in the first 22 games, placing him third in league scoring behind David Pastrnak and Jeff Skinner (17).
Ovi’s third-period goal against the Red Wings was a bullet to the far corner of the net.
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After Tom Wilson carried the puck into the zone, the right winger hit Nic Dowd, who had not left the ice for a shift change yet. The fourth line center curled just enough to get off a pass to Alex Ovechkin near the right circle. Ovechkin hired a heavy wrister to the far corner of the net beating Jonathan Bernier.
The slow-motion replay does not fully capture how fast Ovechkin’s shot truly was.
The goal gave the Capitals some much-needed insurance down the stretch to notch their fifth win in six games.
According to the NHL’s PR, Ovechkin has scored four goals in his past four games. He now sits two goals shy of tying Joe Sakic (625) and Jarome Iginla (625) for 15th place on the NHL’s all-time goals list.
On Saturday, Ovechkin will play in his 1,026th career game. Wayne Gretzky (752 GP), Mario Lemieux (758 GP) and Brett Hull (965 GP) are the only players to accumulate 625 career goals in fewer than 1,069 games.
