In the first two games of the Washington Capitals’ first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers, Alex Ovechkin has not scored a goal. With only one shot in 38:49 of ice time, the famed sniper has been unable to get open looks at Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin.
Following Game Two, Spencer Carbery, the head coach of the Capitals, recognised Ovechkin’s early-series problems, stating that the team’s captain “looks a little bit off.” The Capitals will need Ovechkin to regain some of his usual goal-scoring form as the series moves to Washington, DC, if they are to overcome their 2-0 deficit.
“It’s not ideal, but sometimes one must take action wherever possible,” he remarked. Play aggressively and make an effort to give your teammates room. We’re all in the same boat, though. If we want to succeed, we must all play better.
All we need to do is settle down. Yes, our squad is young, but it doesn’t mean it lacks experience. We just need to relax, play the puck simply, and try not to think about it too much. Eventually, it will happen.
Despite appearing to lack his usual ability to produce shots, Ovechkin hasn’t been a complete nett negative in five-on-five play. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Capitals enjoy an advantage in shot attempts (+3) and scoring opportunities (+1) when he is on the ice. Despite the Rangers’ lead in goals and high-danger opportunities, they are also gone.
Through the first two games, Carbery has kept Ovechkin in a line-up with TJ Oshie and Connor McMichael, and it looks like he will continue this strategy in Game Three. In just two games, Ovechkin and Oshie have combined for just two shots at five-on-five, and neither veteran has had a single high-danger opportunity.
Ovechkin remarked, “I think it’s just settle down a little bit, you know.” We know we play against a talented hockey club, so you have to be more patient with the puck. They intend to give up their physical form. We simply need to play simple and hold off on throwing the ball straight away if it is on our stick. They will play hard against our top lines, blocking shots and being physical. Look for the lane, please. We know how to manage this because we have been in a similar circumstance before.
Ovechkin has failed to put Shesterkin to the test during the power play, even though he has played more than 12:30 of ice time with the man advantage. He’s attempted four shots, all of which have been blocked or miss the Rangers cage.
Carbery and his staff are working to find a way for New York to frustrate the NHL’s all-time leader in shots on goal as well as Washington’s top goal scorer.
“As a coaching staff, teammates, and linemates, we have to do a better job of finding ways to get him the puck in certain situations,” Carbery stated on Thursday. The second is just attacking as much as he can, making threats, changing the angle of the shot, and taking a few extra steps. We’ve had some fruitful conversations about how he can travel to the interior and get his shot off more regularly. Power play is included in that.
“He’s grabbing the puck and shooting it immediately, maybe even gaining an extra step to the inside.” Additionally, you have altered your shooting angle, and the stick and shin pads are no longer in your lane.
The Capitals will host Game Three of the series at home, where the crowd at Capital One Arena may give Ovechkin and the other players a much-needed lift. This season, the Caps did far better at home, going 22-12-7 as opposed to their 18-19-4 record away from home.
Ovechkin has scored 419 career home goals, good for the third-best all-time total. He scored 15 of his 31 goals at home this season.
“I’m always excited,” Ovechkin said. “It’s an exciting time for us, for our fans. We missed the playoffs last year, so it’s going to be a pretty cool atmosphere I’m pretty sure.”
