Penguins Not Changing Game Plan Despite Rival’s Struggles
Alex Ovechkin may not be scoring as his usual pace, but the Pittsburgh Penguins aren't changing their outlook.
The early stages of the 2023-24 season haven’t been kind to one of the Pittsburgh Penguins biggest rivals.
While the Washington Capitals have found ways to win, Alex Ovechkin has struggled to find the back of the net and he’ll look to kick things back into gear against the Penguins.
Through the first 34 games of the season, Ovechkin has only scored seven goals and only recently snapped a stretch of 14 games without finding the back of the net.
At 38-years-old, many started to wonder if Ovechkin was losing his fight with Father Time and if he’d ever be able to reach the all-time goals record.
With 829 goals logged in his career, Ovechkin still has the respect of many across the NHL, and even if he’s lacking in that department, the Penguins don’t plan on making changes.
“He’s always dangerous regardless of how things are going,” Sidney Crosby said. “It doesn’t change how we approach things.”
Head coach Mike Sullivan echoed Crosby’s statement and mentioned that no matter what the Penguins need to be ready for Ovechkin.
“I think we have to be prepared for Ovechkin every time we play against him,” Sullivan said. “We just have so much respect for what he’s done in this league. He’s one of the greatest goal scorers of all time, he can really shoot the puck.”
Even if Ovechkin isn’t scoring at his usual pace, he is still a threat to produce offense at any given moment.
In the Capitals’ last win over the Nashville Predators, Ovechkin scored the game-tying goal in the second frame; the Capitals eventually lost in the shootout.
Ovechkin thought to have scored a second goal late in the game, but it was called back due to goalie interference.
That was Ovechkin’s second goal in four games, which could indicate he’s about to explode for a much higher pace that we’re all used to.
“I know it’s been a little bit of a struggle for him as far as the goal scoring is concerned,” Sullivan said. “The expectations on him are extremely high. From our standpoint, we’ll prepare the same way we always do.”
No matter what kind of pace Ovechkin may be on, the Penguins plan on treating it as if he’s still producing at his record-breaking level.
Ovechkin always seems to find another level against the Penguins, too; in 73 games against the Penguins, he has 71 total points with 39 of them being goals.
In their three meetings last season, Ovechkin notched a pair of goals.
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