Alex Ovechkin is the greatest power-play goal scorer in NHL history, but something is not clicking in his age-38 season. Ovechkin uncharacteristically has one PPG in his first 25 games this season as the Capitals’ long-vaunted power play has dropped to worst in the league at 8.2 percent effectiveness.
Under head coach Spencer Carbery, the Caps have continued to use a 1-3-1 formation first brought in by Adam Oates a decade ago with Ovechkin setting up shop in his office in the left circle. But real experimentation appears to finally be happening.
During Wednesday’s practice, Ovechkin set up in the high slot (think: at the top of the circles in the middle of the ice) and rotated over to the right circle as he practiced with the Capitals’ second power-play unit. RMNB’s Katie Adler got video of the new look.
New look on the power play this morning: Alex Ovechkin is practicing in the slot instead of left circle when on with the second unit. pic.twitter.com/ATrppoIG7R
— Katie Adler (@katieEadler) December 13, 2023
“We’re just experimenting with some different stuff,” Carbery said after practice to Adler. “I don’t know if it’ll look like that. We’ll want to get some reps in looking at some different things. So whether he’s in there tomorrow night, I couldn’t tell you, but we want to start to experiment with some of that stuff, whether it’s with Sandin’s unit, Carlson’s unit, moving around a little bit.”
While Ovechkin is generating the same amount of expected goals as he would any previous year, the puck is just not going in the net.
There are a variety of variables that could be affecting the the power play’s effectiveness including the aging and regression of the team’s core players on the unit — Nicklas Backstrom stepped away from hockey in early November — and sheer unluckiness. There is also a lack of unpredictability from the unit.
“It’s something that I think is inevitable for our power play, and I’ve said this like a broken record since the beginning of the year, is we have to make penalty kills second-guess what’s going on and what we’re trying to accomplish out there,” Carbery said. “That is probably the biggest way. Any power play, if there’s one thing you ask any penalty kill coach in 32 teams, if you could expect one thing on one power play in this league, it’s number eight on the flank over there.
“So just think about the pre-scouting and all the stuff that you guys have all seen of him being taken away. I just think it’s inevitable that we have to try to figure out ways to get him into different areas to keep penalty kills off-balance.”
After going over a month and an hour of power-play time without scoring, the Capitals have seen recent progress with the unit as it has three power-play goals in their last six games; Dylan Strome scored once against Dallas while Tom Wilson scored twice on his hat trick night against the Anaheim Ducks.
But the Capitals still have scored a league-worst six power-play goals on the year. Ovechkin’s last goal on the power play came in Game 5 of the season — October 24 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
To turn things around, Carbery and power play coach Kirk Muller know they must get Ovi going. This new wrinkle is their latest attempt.
