Alexander Ovechkin has one goal through 17 games, and the Capitals have no easy explanation for it.
The NHL's all-time goal leader scored 32 last season. This year he has one goal and four assists for five points, with a -1 rating.
Last night in New Jersey, Ovechkin went without a point in a 5-2 loss, finishing with two shots on goal and 13:25 of ice time. Spencer Carbery's team gets the Devils again Saturday at home.
The recent stretch speaks for itself.
Ovechkin has 930 career goals in 1590 games, and he has never finished a season with fewer than 24. Even that low came in just 45 games during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. One goal in 17 games is a different animal entirely.
The ice time stands out too. Pierre-Luc Dubois, Ryan Leonard and Aliaksei Protas all played more than Ovechkin did Thursday, and none of them is the player the Capitals built their identity around for two decades.
Is this the end for Ovechkin as a goal scorer?
Nobody has said that, and 17 games doesn't write a career's final chapter. But at 41, with a contract that runs through this season and expires at the end of it, a drought this deep stops looking like a cold month.
The power play is part of it. He has no power-play goals and no power-play assists this season, while Leonard scored on the man advantage last night and Cole Hutson picked up a power-play assist. Ovechkin's office used to be the one place the Capitals could count on a goal.
Washington isn't sinking. The Capitals are 10-7-0, fourth in the Metropolitan Division, with a goal differential of 0. That's a team getting by without its biggest name producing, which is fine for the standings and a real problem for anyone hoping to see him chase more history.
Our view: Carbery shouldn't be shy about changing his role if the minutes keep sliding. Sentiment is a poor reason to keep a 13-minute player in a spot built for a 20-goal scorer, never mind a 30-goal one.
Saturday against New Jersey gives Ovechkin another look at the Devils' net, with Washington trying to bounce back from a three-goal loss.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
What should the Capitals do with Ovechkin's role if the drought continues?
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