(Caps Outsider)
Caps captain Alexander Ovechkin has been nothing short of incredible as of late, scoring 11 goals in as many games – ten of which Washington has won.
In the onset of the season, Ovechkin was noticeably off pace – even while missing four games. Just eleven games ago, Ovi was sitting at 713 goals, four behind Phil Esposito for sixth on the all time goal scoring list. Since then, Ovi has scored in nine of the past eleven games, bringing him to 724, sixth place all time, just seven behind Marcel Dionne for fifth. At this current pace, Ovi could even pass Brett Hull (741) for fourth by the end of the season. That would put him within 25 goals of Jaromir Jagr for third all time, a number that Ovi can definitely break next season.
Ovechkin has also started to enter the mix for the Rocket Richard award (he’s won nine of those already), something that many could not have predicted a month ago. While it will certainly be no easy feat to pull off, Ovechkin has impressively tallied the fifth most goals this season. His 18 goals are tied with many others, but he is rapidly catching up with Maple Leafs’ star Auston Matthews (23) and is merely three goals behind Oilers’ elite playmaker Connor McDavid (21). The deficit was 12 goals just a couple weeks ago.
Ovechkin has also notched some other very impressive stats that show just how good he really is. After his goal on Sunday against the Rangers, Ovi tied Hull for sixth place on the NHL’s all time even-strength goal list with a whopping 456. Ovi is just 11 even-strength goals away from tying Mike Gartner for fifth all time on that list. Ovechkin also passed Gordie Howe for fifth on the all time multi-goal games list with 148. It will take six more multi-goal games for Ovi to pass Mario Lemieux for fourth. The closest active player to Ovechkin on that list is Sidney Crosby with 84 (43rd place).
As the Caps continue their playoff pursuit, depth scoring will remain necessary. If Ovechkin stays hot, Washington will be serious contenders come playoff time. Regardless of a slow start, Ovi has shown the league, and the world, that even in season 16, number 8 is still going strong.
