Like a prize-winning horse in the Kentucky Derby, Alex Ovechkin blasted out of the gates and scored 15 goals in his first 18 games of the 2024-25 season. Not only did the 39-year-old future Hockey Hall of Famer lead the Capitals in the category, but he also led the entire league.
Then, on November 18, bad luck struck. Skating across the ice, Ovechkin clanged legs with the Utah Hockey Club’s Jack McBain, breaking his fibula and forcing him onto injured reserve.
At the time of his injury, Ovechkin led the next closest Capitals player by three for the team lead in goals. Incredibly, it took 32 days and 14 Capitals games for someone to finally pass him.
Connor McMichael scored his 16th goal of the season in the Capitals’ 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, beating goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov with 27 seconds left in the second period. Using a big screen from Aliaksei Protas in front, McMichael sneaked a shot past Kochetkov just under the crossbar.
“It feels good,” McMichael said of taking the crown from Ovechkin. “Anytime a guy with that scoring ability goes down, a lot of guys feel like they need to step up. And I thought we’ve had contributions from all over the line, not just one or two guys. So yeah, it feels nice whenever I can help the team, but a lot of guys have stepped up in his absence.”
With Ovechkin out the last 14 contests, Jakob Chychrun has put up the most points during that span, posting 13 (4g, 9a), and Tom Wilson has scored the most goals, with 7.
Ovechkin, who shed his no-contact jersey and practiced fully with his teammates earlier this morning, will not return before the holiday break and miss at least two more games. But when he does return, his incredible start still has him among the team leaders in goals and points despite missing, as of tonight, 43 percent of the season.
