TJ Oshie ended a 15-game, 29-shot goalless streak on Wednesday after scoring in the second period of the Capitals’ 4-3 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres.
Oshie backhanded home a rebound from Connor McMichael to tie the game at 2. It gave Oshie only his second point of the season after he collected an assist on October 25 against the New Jersey Devils.
“That was great,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said after the game. “He’s obviously relieved, but his teammates are just so happy for him. They’re celebrating on the bench together like someone scored on the bench, but it’s just celebrating Osh. That was great.”
Carbery believes it could also spark Oshie moving forward.
“No matter what you say to Osh, it’s in the back of his mind,” Carbery said. “To get that out of the way, and now a little bit of a weight off his shoulders to just play and let the game come to him. I never feel like he’s pressing or gripping his stick anyways, but if there was any bit of that in the back of his mind…”
The soon-to-be 37-year-old has missed large swaths of time the previous two seasons due to injury, but after having a full healthy offseason to train, Oshie has not missed a game to start the 2023-24 campaign.
Carbery stressed that while the six-time 20-goal scorer may not show up on any NHL leaderboards, he believes the right wing has brought a lot more to the team than what a casual fan would see on the scoresheet.
“I’ve told him, he’s done a lot of good things for our team and a big reason why we’re winning a lot of games,” Carbery said. “Yeah, it might not be in the game sheet every night, but I see it on the film. We’re winning games because of a lot of the little things he does. I focus on that stuff with him and it’s great to see him rewarded offensively because he wants to score and produce. I think hopefully this will get him rolling a little bit.”
The second-in-the-Metro Capitals are 10-4-2 to start the season, notching points in 12 of 16 games. The team is currently on a five-game winning streak ahead of their game against the Edmonton Oilers on Black Friday.
Oshie certainly brings leadership — he shares an A with Tom Wilson after Nicklas Backstrom stepped away from the team — and is an indispensable role player. But his process stats, no matter what Carbery says, are cause for concern.
At five-on-five, Oshie is underwater in shot attempts (46.45%), scoring chances (45.97%), and high danger chances (46.67%). The Capitals have been out-scored 9-3 when Oshie is on the ice.
While Oshie was one of the team’s top players and someone they heavily relied upon in the past, the Capitals are acknowledging they are a team in transition and re-figuring out roles with their veterans on the fly as they inch towards the end of the Alex Ovechkin Era in DC.
“I do think [the aging curve] is a factor but I still think teams need guys in their 30s on their team,” Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said. “I just don’t think you can have too many of them. I think you have to be supplementing your guys with younger guys coming underneath. I think with us and Pittsburgh you have guys like Ovi, Crosby, etc. that were at such an elite level as they aged they became closer to the average type player but their drop off happens in a different way than a normal player would. They’re still effective players, they’re still good players. If you can balance out the older guys with the young guys, I still think you’re competitive in the league.”
Headline photo: Katie Adler/RMNB
