Alexander "Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years" Ovechkin has 8 goals in his last 5 and has the Caps in the playoffs.

[ryan callahan]

*Charlie Lindgren and the system but yeah, the guy at nearly -20 is carrying the Caps. Never change .

 

[Midnight Judges]

*Charlie Lindgren and the system but yeah, the guy at nearly -20 is carrying the Caps. Never change .

If only Jeff Schultz was still on the team - one of the best plus minuses of all time - the true measure of greatness.

 

[ryan callahan]

If only Jeff Schultz was still on the team - one of the best plus minuses of all time - the true measure of greatness.

Well his entire line is getting outplayed at 5v5. It isn't the case of a DFD having a career yr getting carried by prime Ovy, Backstrom and Green.

 

[Dennis Reynolds]

Only 7.5 in the 5.

McMichael has .5 of those.

 

[HFpapi]

This website had some awful takes back in 2017 when it came to Ovy. Media as well.

Yeah people have fully written him off about 3-4 times in his career, like they weren't even being hyperbolic, they thought he was washed as a player only for him to rattle off multiple Rocket trophies every time.

That said, it is still weird as **** that he had a 60ish point season dead smack in the middle of what should have been his peak.

I think that was the Adam Oates coaching era? Apparently was awful for Ovi's game.

 

[Zine]

*Charlie Lindgren and the system but yeah, the guy at nearly -20 is carrying the Caps. Never change .

Pre-all star game the caps had a winning % of .543. Scored 2.4 goals/game. Gave up 3.1 goals/game.

Since the all-star break the team has a .609 winning %. Scoring 3.4 goals/game. giving up 3.2 goals/game.

I'll let you decide if there's any correlation between Oveckhin's spike in production and the Caps end-of-the-year playoff surge.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Yeah people have fully written him off about 3-4 times in his career, like they weren't even being hyperbolic, they thought he was washed as a player only for him to rattle off multiple Rocket trophies every time.

That said, it is still weird as **** that he had a 60ish point season dead smack in the middle of what should have been his peak.

I think that was the Adam Oates coaching era? Apparently was awful for Ovi's game.

Dale Hunter era. Only guy who ever gave Ovi 13 min of ice time in a playoff game in favor of career 4th liners like Beagle and Hendricks.

Coaching didn’t absolve him of everything though, he needed to change and adapt his game (which he did under Oates).

 

[DL44]

This is my favorite 2nd half story in the NHL! Amazing bounce back production and then the Caps sitting in a playoff position... I did not see this coming.

 

[heretik27]

Father time is undefeated, but Ovechkin didn't hear no bell!

 

[nbwingsfan]

Ovi looked totally washed to start the year, wasn't even a sure bet to hit 20 goals at one point.

The Capitals looked equally washed, I mean, they had NOBODY on offence, a no name goalie, weak D core. Backstrom basically retired. Things looked grim.

After being written off for the 96th time in his illustrious career, Ovi is absolutely on fire at exactly the right time. 5 game goal streak with 8 total goals. It makes zero sense at all but somehow the Washington Capitals are now sitting in a wildcard playoff position.

How many times in his career has this guy absolutely turned it on in the 2nd half of the season.

Shout out to the GOAT goal scorer still doing it.

It’s been an amazing run, and I hate it

 

[eviohh26]

I was getting worried he wasn't going to be able to break the record. I was starting to doubt him. Would like to see him beat it.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

meier has a career high of 35 goals, this is an Ovechkin thread, timo is not an absurd scorer by any means. Only thing absurd is this attempted sneak

Lmao, he had 31 with SJ last year and 9 with NJ in the regular season. But yes a career high of 35. Also maybe go into the other main board thread about Meier and you'd see the point I was making. I wasn't comparing the two historically.

 

[Randyne]

*Charlie Lindgren and the system but yeah, the guy at nearly -20 is carrying the Caps. Never change .

Ovechkin never run from minuses like Sid. I rarely watch the pens but saw his coward OT linechanges to keep his pluses which cost 2 OTL for his team last couple months.

 

[HFpapi]

It’s been an amazing run, and I hate it

Massive game tonight for Caps and your Wings.

 

[Kuz]

Shooting % matters. Ovechkin had no luck the first 40+ games this season and was at 5,4 % after 43 games. Now the luck has turned and hes had 20 % in shotting % since and are at 11 % for the year which is still a bit low for him and more than 3 % lower than last year, but closer to a normal year.

Just like last year Matthews had little luck and had 12,2 % which was 5 % lower than the year before and this year he is at 19,6 % which is his best shooting % ever. If Matthews had 19,6 % last year he would have had 64 goals in 74 games and 71 goal pace in a full season.

 

[nbwingsfan]

Massive game tonight for Caps and your Wings.

I have to have a stupid supper with the stupid in laws during the game (who aren’t hockey fans).

Will be having frequent bathroom breaks and blaming it on the mother in laws food so I can watch the game in peace on my phone

 

[Midnight Judges]

Ovechkin never run from minuses like Sid. I rarely watch the pens but saw his coward OT linechanges to keep his pluses which cost 2 OTL for his team last couple months.

Sid is definitely mindful of crap like that in ways that Ovie doesn't care about.

Crosby always hops over the boards as soon as the real penalty killers get the final clear so he can register 5 seconds of PK time when really he isn't a PK'er. He also tends to get favorable match-ups in those moments.

 

[Mobiandi]

Ovechkin was always better than Crosby

 

[JimmyApples]

Proud to say I didn’t fall for the “Ovechkin is ancient and is done” narrative this time!

 

[EdmFlyersfan]

Ovechkin is doing it to spite Crosby...

 

[Hockey4Lyfe]

Sid is definitely mindful of crap like that in ways that Ovie doesn't care about.

Crosby always hops over the boards as soon as the real penalty killers get the final clear so he can register 5 seconds of PK time when really he isn't a PK'er. He also tends to get favorable match-ups in those moments.

Or it's because Ovechkin has been apart of one of the worst first lines in the entire league this season.

Numbers are getting a little better recently but the Capitals first line was dead last in goal differential and second to last in expected goal differential. As of the middle of February.

Easy to not be more mindful of + - when your line is getting caved in the majority of the year. Ovechkin, Strome, and Wilson have earned their minuses.

Yes, plus minus can be very subjective but huge minuses can also indicate lines that are truly awful defensively and not keeping up offensively.

 

[mkatcherin00]

Ovi carrying his team to a playoff spot. Crosby carrying it to the cellar

 

[WarriorofTime]

This guy should fully win the Mark Messier Leadership Award

 

[ViD]

The Caps making the post season with this roster is incomprehensible.

Caps vs Canes with Kuznetsov/ Orlov series will be fun to watch

 

[HTFN]

Or it's because Ovechkin has been apart of one of the worst first lines in the entire league this season.

Numbers are getting a little better recently but the Capitals first line was dead last in goal differential and second to last in expected goal differential. As of the middle of February.

Easy to not be more mindful of + - when your line is getting caved in the majority of the year. Ovechkin, Strome, and Wilson have earned their minuses.

Yes, plus minus can be very subjective but huge minuses can also indicate lines that are truly awful defensively and not keeping up offensively.

I’d like to see the stats bearing out that the line you’re talking about is specifically Ovechkin, Strome, and Wilson because the Caps spent a lot of the first half of the year running Kuznetsov on line one (I guess to either snap him out of his shit or give him enough rope to fully hang himself) and if any of that is getting contorted here it’d be a shame.