Home / News / Alex Ovechkin dominates the Minnesota Wild like no other NHL team

Alex Ovechkin dominates the Minnesota Wild like no other NHL team

By Ian Oland

 0 Comment

March 20, 2023 2:12 pm

The Washington Capitals played miserably against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday losing 5-3, but Alex Ovechkin still went off.

Despite missing the game before due to a lower-body injury, Ovechkin figured in all three Capitals’ goals against Minnesota, including scoring twice himself.

For longtime followers of the Capitals captain, the three-point performance was just another ho-hum day for the legendary winger against the Wild — a team he has absolutely dominated like no other.

Ovechkin has played at Minnesota’s Xcel Energy Center 12 times during his illustrious 18-year career in the NHL. Ovi has recorded at least one point in every game he’s played there and scored in eight different games. According to NHL PR, that level of dominance in Minnesota puts Ovi high up on a list that includes some of the greatest players in NHL history.

Only six other players have had a more impressive stretch of games as a visiting player including Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Johnny Bucyk, Dany Heatley, Joe Mullen, and Marcel Dionne. (Please note: I’m surprised not to see Carl Hagelin leading this list as a visiting player at Capital One Arena.)

Some great research from Capitals PR (Capitals Today) and RMNB help put Ovechkin’s dominance into perspective.

  • Ovechkin has scored 15 goals, recorded 10 assists, and posted 25 points in 12 games against the Wild in Minnesota, dating back to Oct. 12, 2006.
  • Alex Ovechkin has 36 points (19g, 17a) in 21 career games against Minnesota — home and away — good for 1.71 points per game.
  • Ovechkin’s 0.90 goals per game and 1.71 points per game versus the Wild are the highest rates he’s recorded against a single franchise in his career.
  • Ovechkin’s scored two of his 30 career hat tricks against the Minnesota Wild, which came in consecutive seasons (2015-16, 2016-17). The two games were on February 11, 2016 and March 28, 2017 and goaltender Devan Dubnyk started both games.

Sunday also marked another dominant Ovechkin performance against goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, a player he has terrorized his entire career. Ovechkin has scored 27 goals in 45 career regular-season games against MAF, the most of any goaltender in his career (see the full list). Fleury was also the goaltender of record when the Capitals beat in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final to win the franchise’s first championship.

Until Sunday’s defeat, Ovechkin’s dominance had helped the Capitals earn at least one point in seven-straight games (6-0-1) in Minnesota dating back to March 19, 2015.

Perhaps Ovi was a big fan of Prince or maybe there is something in the waters of Lake Minnetonka? Whatever the reason, Ovechkin goes to a different level when he plays the Wild.

Headline photo: @Emily_Longtin/Twitter

, ,