Former all-star NHL goalie Devan Dubnyk did not face Alex Ovechkin often during his career. But when he did, the Washington Capitals sniper kept finding his way to the back of the net.
Alex Ovechkin opened up about his future in the NHL in an interview with Capitals broadcaster John Walton airing Wednesday.
Currently in the final year of his contract, Ovechkin wants to speak with his loved ones before deciding whether to stay or retire.
"I'm going to take some time after the season to reflect and talk with my family," Ovechkin told Walton. "Then this summer I will make a decision about my future."
Meanwhile, former players have been reflecting on Ovechkin's impact on the game and how difficult it was to shut him down.
One former NHL goaltender, Devan Dubnyk, talked about the scouting report on Ovechkin.
"Scouting report... it was a nightmare," Dubnyk said with a smile.
In his regular Monday appearance on The Hockey News Big Show, Dubnyk joked about how Ovechkin "lit me up" and the fact that, despite not playing against him all that often, he's high on the list of goaltenders who allowed goals against the Russian sniper.
"I think he's got the most goals per 60 minutes against me," Dubnyk said. "I don't know, I'm somehow way up on that list of goalies that he's scored on, and I've only played against him not that many times.
"(Marc-Andre) Fleury's up there because he played against him 40-something times, and then there's like Lundqvist – and then me. They've all played like 40-plus games, and I've played maybe eight, something like that. So yeah, he lit me up."
Ovechkin scored 28 goals in 47 games against Fleury and 24 goals in 42 games against Lundqvist. Those are the two goalies Ovechkin scored on the most, according to capitalsoutsider.com.
The sniper scored 12 goals in nine games on Dubnyk, a goalie who finished in the top five of Vezina Trophy voting twice, made the NHL's second all-star team in 2015 and won the Masterton Trophy in 2014-15. That puts him in 10th place for most goals allowed to Ovechkin.
Ovechkin Still Has It
Even though he's considering hanging up his skates, Ovechkin has a lot left in the tank.
He talked about his health being a huge factor in his decision, but his scoring touch and impact on the game are anything but gone.
"One of those players – just a presence," Dubnyk said. "You get on the ice with him, and you can feel him on the other side of the red line. I was in the West all the time, so I only played him once or twice a year, and yeah, he found his way to the back of the net."
What makes Ovechkin dangerous likely has little to do with his age.
"His shot is so hard to read, especially when you haven't (seen it often)," Dubnyk said. "I guess if you see it more, you probably get a better feel for it, but just like this slingshot wristshot that really, dependent on – I don't know if you've seen his curve, but it's like this hook that it depends on where it comes off the blade, depends on where it's going.
"Definitely a different release than almost anybody else. And then, he kind of got in my head, too. I just couldn't get anything going with him."
Ovechkin still has a way of getting to NHL goalies. One might think he'd slow down, and maybe he will. But, with 31 goals this season, he's not a shadow of his former self. He'll continue to put fear into his opponents.
"The last game I played against him, he didn't score on me, which was nice," Dubnyk said. "He tipped one on me in the third period, and he was like, 'Aw, Duby, you gotta let me have one,' and I was like, 'Let you have one? Excuse me?'
"I got him to sign his stick for me as well, which is pretty funny because he wrote on it, 'To Duby: love to play against you.' My boys love looking at that.
"It was hard for me, as everybody else, but I definitely had some problems with Ovi."
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