The 38-year-old said that the Capitals' solution to their offensive woes starts with him.
While it's only three games into the 2023-24 season, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin knows that his team needs to stop the bleeding, and he also said it starts with him.
The 38-year-old, who sits 73 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time record, said that he's not only disappointed with the 1-2-0 start to the season but that he's also disappointed with his own performance so far.
Ovechkin has had a rough start to the campaign, as he was held without a shot in back-to-back games for the first time in his career and has yet to find twine this season. After getting four shots on goal in the season opener, he's been unable to get anything on net, as all of his attempts have either been blocked or gone wide.
"If I was say how I play, I'm not happy with my game," Ovechkin told reporters bluntly following Friday's practice in Montreal. "I think you can see we're all [not happy] as a team. Sometimes we play good, but most of times it's kind of battling out there.
Ovechkin started the year playing with Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie, and after a lack of success there, moved to play with Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson. While that line had some chances, Matthew Phillips will now replace Wilson up front, and the Russian said the team will have to wait and see if that ignites a spark.
Ultimately, though, he stands by the fact that it's on him to get something going.
"I think as a player, you wanna shoot, you wanna score, you wanna create moments for your teammates, for yourself. But how I said, everything happen once," Ovechkin added with regard to going without a shot in back-to-back games.
The lack of offense has led to Washington managing just three goals so far this season while also averaging the second-least amount of shots in the league out of the gate. The Capitals have also failed to score on any sustained pressure in the offensive zone, as all three goals have been scored off rush attempts.
"I think [we need to] find a way to scoring goals. Obviously, we struggle right now a little bit, but it's up to us, you know?" Ovechkin told reporters on Friday after practice in Ottawa. "We know the system; we play to create, especially in offensive zone and neutral zone."
Going forward, Ovechkin said that he needs to step up, and in turn, the rest of the team can give more. Washington returns to action on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, and there, Ovechkin wants to see his team rise to the occasion, with him leading the way.
"We feel good, but when the season starts, you can see something missing," Ovechkin said. "That's why, as a leader, I have to lead the way."