After having a non-characteristic injury-prone, kinda-breaky season, Alex Ovechkin is back to his old (or I guess new?) ways in 2021-22.
Ovechkin has started the season with goals in the first three games, including a two-goal, four-point outing against the New York Rangers on Opening Night. Ovechkin added a goal against the Lightning and an empty-netter against the Colorado Avalanche a few nights later.
Ovechkin ranks fifth all-time in goals (734) and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Any kind of Ovi goal is a gr8 one pic.twitter.com/82I5gluzmx
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 20, 2021
It got me thinking. Is Ovi having better starts to seasons in the backend of his career and how does this season rank overall? Every preseason, I worry if this is finally the year Ovi falls off and has age regression. Then, Ovi seemingly does his thing like he’s the Tom Brady of hockey and I’m a believer again. But is that really true?
I did some stat counting by hand to examine Ovi’s starts to new seasons and here’s what I learned.
This is the fifth time Alex Ovechkin has goals in the first three games of a season.
| Season | Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | 5 | 9 |
| 2013-14 | 4 | 6 |
| 2015-16 | 3 | 4 |
| 2018-19 | 4 | 5 |
| 2021-22 | 4 | 6 |
Ovechkin has scored in three consecutive games to start a season in two of his last four campaigns and four times in his last nine. The 2017-18 season is not counted here, but it’s worth noting. Ovechkin scored a double hat trick in the first two games (3g against OTT, 4g against MTL), but was unable to score in the third.
In Ovechkin’s previous eight seasons, when he was at his best, he accomplished the feat only once (2009-10).
Points-wise, this is Ovechkin’s third-best start to a season.
| Season | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| 2017-18 | 7 (double hatty) | 0 | 7 |
| 2013-14 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 2021-22 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 2010-11 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 2014-15 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 2018-19 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 2005-06 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2015-16 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 2020-21 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2006-07 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2007-08 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2008-09 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2011-12 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2016-17 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2012-13 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2019-20 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
The 2021-22 season marks the sixth time Ovechkin’s scored four goals or more to start a season. He’s done it five times in the last eight seasons. You can’t point to the level of competition the 36-year-old Ovechkin has played against as being easy either. He produced against the back-to-back champion Tampa Bay Lightning (and had a goal reversed on review) and the Colorado Avalanche, two of the best teams in the league.
So basically, what I learned from this exercise is that Ovi’s had better starts to the season later in his career, which is kinda nonsensical. I’m not going to make the tired fine wine metaphor, but it’s apropos here.
The Capitals now will turn their attention to the New Jersey Devils Thursday. Ovechkin’s production will likely continue if trends from last season continue tonight.
From the Capitals PR:
In his last 10 games against New Jersey, Alex Ovechkin has 10 goals and 13 points, including four multi-point games during that span.
The Capitals outscored the Devils 32-19 last season.
Last season, Washington won all eight games against New Jersey, marking the first time in franchise history the Capitals beat an opponent eight times in one season.
Whatever Ovechkin is doing in the offseason, it’s working.
MOAR OVI GOALS pic.twitter.com/nuP106cT37
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 20, 2021
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB
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