One of the most incredible streaks in the NHL this season is finally over.
During the Washington Capitals’ 7-4 victory over the Utah Mammoth on Thursday, 40-year-old Alex Ovechkin received his first and second defensive zone starts of the season from head coach Spencer Carbery.
And in true Carbery fashion, the hunch paid off.
According to Ineffective Math, Ovechkin’s first defensive zone start of the season came 4:19 into the second period — a faceoff between Dylan Strome and Nick Schmaltz.
Forty-two seconds later, Ovechkin scored the 924th goal of his career, redirecting a pass from Rasmus Sandin past Vitek Vanecek and bringing the Capitals to within one of the Mammoth (3-2) at 5:01 of the period.
Ovechkin’s second and final defensive zone start came with 2:56 remaining in the third period with the Capitals leading 6-4 and looking to close out the game. Utah had pulled its goaltender, Karel Vejmelka, who replaced Vanecek earlier in the period, for an extra attacker. The opportunity was the first of two shifts Carbery gave Ovechkin late in the game so that he could go for a hat trick.
While Ovechkin didn’t score during his 1:03 of ice time here, he did on his final shift of the game during a change on the fly. With 5.2 seconds remaining, Ovi sent a shot from the neutral zone into Utah’s empty net for his 34th career hat trick and his 926th career goal.
Ovechkin’s first defensive zone starts came a staggering 73 games into the 2025-26 season and right when most hockey analysts assumed he would probably not get one this year. Carbery said nope in his brain nearly 600 times this season before feeling the moment was right at Delta Center.
While Carbery finally ended Ovechkin’s streak, the Capitals captain still leads all NHL players with the lowest percentage of defensive zone starts, leading second-place Anthony Mantha.
Fewest defensive-zone starts by NHL forwards (min. 50 games)
| Player | Team | Total Shifts | DZ Starts | DZ % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Ovechkin | WSH | 1434 | 2 | 0.001 |
| Anthony Mantha | PIT | 1225 | 42 | 0.03 |
| Jackson Blake | CAR | 1296 | 48 | 0.04 |
| Evgeni Malkin | PIT | 941 | 37 | 0.04 |
| Berkly Catton | SEA | 919 | 37 | 0.04 |
| Logan Stankoven | CAR | 1237 | 52 | 0.04 |
| Jack Hughes | NJD | 1039 | 47 | 0.05 |
| Fedor Svechkov | NSH | 855 | 43 | 0.05 |
| Matvei Michkov | PHI | 1325 | 67 | 0.05 |
| Taylor Hall | CAR | 1203 | 61 | 0.05 |
| Shane Wright | SEA | 1276 | 65 | 0.05 |
| Ivan Demidov | MTL | 1208 | 62 | 0.05 |
| Matthew Wood | NSH | 872 | 45 | 0.05 |
| Justin Brazeau | PIT | 850 | 45 | 0.05 |
| Max Sasson | VAN | 937 | 50 | 0.05 |
| Fabian Zetterlund | OTT | 1332 | 73 | 0.05 |
| Drake Batherson | OTT | 1508 | 84 | 0.06 |
| Andre Burakovsky | CHI | 1259 | 71 | 0.06 |
| Corey Perry | LAK/TBL | 939 | 53 | 0.06 |
| Nick Cousins | OTT | 1169 | 70 | 0.06 |
Before Thursday’s game against the Mammoth, Ovechkin’s last defensive zone came on April 17, 2025, against the Pittsburgh Penguins — the Capitals’ last game of the 2024-25 season and back when gas was $3.16 per gallon. With 7:37 remaining in the second period, the Capitals’ first line came out for a defensive zone faceoff between Strome and Evgeni Malkin, which Strome won.
Ovechkin’s anemic defensive zone starts initially became a story at the end of October — 10 games into the season.
While Carbery’s strategy is ridiculous, it has worked. With Ovechkin on the ice at five-on-five, the Capitals have outscored their opponents 46 to 33, and the team has posted positive differentials in shot attempts (50.4%), scoring chances (50.6%), high-danger chances (50.8%), and expected goals (51.1%)
This comes despite NHL Edge data ranking Ovechkin as one of the slowest skaters in the league.
