Alex Ovechkin set a new NHL record when he notched the game-winning goal against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. The tally marked Ovechkin’s 30th goal of the season and gave the Capitals’ captain eighteen different 30-goal seasons, passing Mike Gartner (17) for the most ever.
“It’s pretty big,” Ovechkin said of the record after the Capitals’ 2-1 win over the Red Wings. “It’s consistency, health. My linemates, my teammates who find me out there, who find me in an open spot, open ice.
“I just play my game, try to use chances. Try to find rebounds. Try to create chances for my linemates. How I say, right now we all (know) how important it is to get points and stay in the battle. It a fun time of the year.”
Ovechkin hitting the 30-goal mark again was stunning considering his age (38) and his massive struggles at the beginning of the season, which suggested his career could be coming to an early conclusion. The legendary sniper scored only eight goals in his first 43 games of the season (0.19 goals per game) — well off his 0.62 goals per game average in the five previous seasons. The Capitals changed systems under rookie head coach Spencer Carbery and Ovechkin dealt with a lower-body injury earlier in the year.
But there was one person who believed he could still hit 30 — even during the worst of times.
“I was talking to Chuckie, I think, Charlie (Lindgren) earlier in the season — and I think he had like seven or eight goals at the time — and we were just talking and we were like, ‘I’m not going to be surprised when he gets 30 this year,'” Dylan Strome said.
Lindgren, however, offered a clarification.
“That was Stromer that said that to me,” the goaltender replied when told of his teammate’s comment. “I think that was right after All-Star break. And I think [Ovechkin] started to heat up because I think he went in with eight. And then his first few games after the All-Star break, I think he scored. And he got on that Ovechkin roll.
“Stromer, he did tell me. That’s facts — that O was going to find a way to get 30. Sure enough, he’s at 30 right now. And they’re big goals. I mean, listen, post-All-Star break, we’ve needed every single goal that he scored. Again, he’s a big game player and he’s someone that we look to to score big goals for our team.”
Ovechkin has been one of the top scorers in the NHL since returning from the NHL All-Star break. Including the Dallas Stars game on January 27 right before, Ovechkin has scored 22 goals in his last 32 games — a very nice 0.69 goals per game pace. During that span, Ovechkin tallied more five-on-five goals than any other Capitals player (11). He’s also hit the back of the net 10 different times on the power play — another team-high — as Carbery and assistant coach Kirk Muller have moved the Capitals captain around with an extra man.
“You kind of run out of words to say about him,” Strome said. “I’ve only been here for one year before this. He finds a way to score. He has a great shot… When he sees a(n open) spot, he’s going to put it home.
“He’s really fun to play with. He’s fun on the power play to play with,” he added. “He just does it all. I mean, he’s vocal, he talks, he has very good insight on the power play and what he thinks we need to do. Obviously, he has his spot, but the other guys, we’re trying to get him the puck as much as we can, and for good reason.”
