Here are the latest gear updates for the Capitals.
WASHINGTON — Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin got his scoring touch back on Saturday, and he did so with a brand new stick.
Ovechkin made headlines by switching back to Bauer sticks for Saturday's game after starting the year with CCM, which he's been partnered with since 2017. He used the Bauer Nexus Geo in warmups, but switched to the Bauer Vapor Hyperlite in the game, where he had two goals — his second was ultimately waved off, though, due to goaltender interference following a controversial challenge by the situation room in Toronto.
The 38-year-old had a six-year stint with Bauer from 2011 to 2017, scoring 257 of his 829 regular-season goals with the company over that span. He added two more to his total with Bauer twigs on Saturday. In total, roughly 31.2 percent of Ovechkin's goals in the NHL have come using a Bauer stick.
This isn't the first time he's experimented with different equipment this season, though. Ovechkin tested out Bauer sticks in the preseason. He was also trying out a Warrior twig before a practice earlier in the season.
His primary sticks have been the Ribcor Trigger ASY, his main build since re-signing with CCM in 2017, and the CCM JetSpeed FT5 Pro. It is unclear if Ovechkin's deal with CCM is still in place, or if it came to an end. He started his career with that brand as well.
Meanwhile, Ethan Bear gave fans a sneak peek at one of Warrior's newest builds in his Capitals debut. Bear was using the Warrior Covert QR6 Pro, which has yet to be released to the public, per GearGeek. The twig features green Warrior graphics.