It’s safe to say Alex Ovechkin is back to being Alex Ovechkin after a slow start to the season, where he scored just three goals in his first 15 games.
Ovechkin has 9 goals in his last 11 outings and found the back of the net again Sunday against the New York Islanders.
The Capitals captain scored an empty-net goal with 31 seconds remaining in the game, skating through an Adam Pelech poke-check for his 909th career goal. The tally put the Caps up 4-1, which turned out to be the final score.
The empty-netter was Ovechkin’s third this season and the 68th of his career, 12 more than second-place Wayne Gretzky, who had 56 during his career.
Ovechkin now has 12 goals overall this season, second only to Tom Wilson on the Capitals. Wilson scored twice against the Islanders and leads the Capitals with 15.
Ovi’s now on pace for 38 goals in his age-40 season — his last under contract with the Capitals.
Ovechkin’s goal against the Islanders also marked his 10th goal in 14 games during the month of November. Per NHL PR, Ovi is just the third player age 40 or older in NHL history to record 10 or more goals in a calendar month, joining Gordie Howe (11 in Feb. 1969) and Johnny Bucyk (10 in Jan. 1976).
Let’s see what The Great 8 has for an encore in December.
