ARLINGTON, V.A. — In his 20th year with the Washington Capitals, Alex Ovechkin is playing some of his best hockey yet in D.C.
At 39 years old, Ovechkin is scoring at a 58-goal pace, and his 2.41 goals per 60 leads the NHL by a significant margin, with Leon Draisaitl ranking second with 2.06 G/60. He also hit the 30-goal mark for the 19th time, and is just 12 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-t record.
On the other side of the puck, he's been stepping up to help defensively, and despite missing 16 games with a broken leg, he's been a model of consistency for his teammates.
All the while, his Capitals comfortably lead the Eastern Conference and look poised for an impressive run come springtime.
What exactly has gone into Ovechkin's impressive play this season?
One major factor has been his ice time. Coach Spencer Carbery has limited Ovechkin's minutes this season, and he is averaging 17:45 minutes, the lowest of his career while making the most of his shifts at even strength and on the power play.
"I think that's what him and I talked about was minutes maybe coming down a little bit, but those minutes becoming more fruitful and more efficient and effective. As opposed to quantity, we're looking for quality, and that's where you've seen the shifts are," Carbery explained, adding, "Now he can really hone in on, 'Okay, my shifts can be more effective, I can use my skating, my pace because I know that I'm not going to have to consume energy to play 17 5-on-5 minutes.'"
Sitting Down With GR8Ness: There's More To Alex Ovechkin Beyond The Goals
ARLINGTON, V.A. — Sitting in his stall at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, still wearing his gear, untying his trademark yellow laces and proudly wearing his No. 8 on a gold chain around his neck, Alex Ovechkin glances over.
Though he's not skating as much as he did in the past, this has helped Ovechkin when it comes to preserving energy and making the most of each shift, and the results have shown on the ice.
"That's helped him as well, is even though he may disagree at times — because he wants to be out there, he's such a competitor, he wants to play 25 minutes — (we) can make these 5-on-5 minutes more efficient and more effective so that you put yourself in more quality spots as opposed to just an okay 17 minutes."
As the Capitals continue down the stretch, Ovechkin is aiming to keep the offense going, but more importantly to him, helping his team remain successful on a night-to-night basis.
"He's trying to help the team and he knows the best way he can do that is by scoring goals," Carbery said. "He is completely engaged trying to play the right way and trying to find ways to do what he knows what helps us most is him playing the right way and contributing offensively."
"I love scoring goals," Ovechkin noted with a smile. "Without goals, you can't win the game."