The Capitals captain has just two goals for 10 games, and neither came at even strength.
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin finds himself in an unfamiliar spot to open a pivotal season in his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky.
The 38-year-old, who is coming off his record-breaking 13th 40-goal season and sits just 71 goals away from breaking Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record, has only struck twice this season and is having some difficulty finding twine.
Through the first 10 games of the year, Ovechkin has converted on just two of his 43 shots (4.7 percent). Neither of his goals came at even strength, with one being his 300th career power-play goal and the second being an empty-netter. He was also held without shots in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
But what's going on?
First off, the offensive struggles go beyond No. 8. Washington's forecheck hasn't been clicking to start the campaign. Not only are bounces not going their way, but there are missed tape-to-tape passes, failed connections and shots that are fired high and wide.
Ovechkin's not immune to this trend. Twenty-four of his attempts have been blocked, and 21 have missed the net. There are a handful of grade-a chances that he's just been unable to convert on, and some attempts have also been shanked high, not in his wheelhouse, just out of reach or off a rolling puck.
Still, Ovechkin is there, and so is that unparalleled shot. He's shooting the puck at an average speed of 59.23 miles per hour. Per NHL Edge, 18 of those shots have gone 70-80 MPH (94th percentile), 15 have gone 80-90 MPH (98th percentile) and seven have gone 90-100 MPH.
Looking at the breakdown of his shooting, 37 percent of his SOG have come from "the office," and 11 have come right in front of the crease. His one goal scored on a goaltender this season came on a tap-in, where he was in perfect position for an easy back-door strike.
Most of his shots have come from mid-range, as he's fired 18 from the circles or slot (the league average is five so far, putting him in the 99th percentile). Ovechkin's 12 high-danger chances right in front rank in the 93rd percentile.
Now, it's all about connecting the dots, and that's where things have gone south to start the season. His 4.7 shooting percentage is far from the standard he's set, and it ranks below the 50th percentile in the league.
As time goes by and the team continues to adapt to Spencer Carbery's systems, the offense is expected to come. He's also clicking well with his linemates in Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson, a combination that came to be about after his original line with Nicklas Backstrom — who stepped away from hockey indefinitely amid continued hip complications — and T.J. Oshie failed to find a spark to start the season.
It's also not like Ovechkin isn't involved; he has eight points in 10 games, with six of those being assists that have come off great passes where he's gone for the play over the shot. He's reading the ice well and making smart decisions, and he's also among the leaders in rebounds created (11) so far. Now, it's just about calling his own number.
Ovechkin is currently on pace for 16 goals this season, which would mark the first time in his career that he's missed out on 20 goals. However, it's still early — well, way too early to worry about his pursuit of 99, especially with the pieces of the puzzle (his shot, scoring sense and strong linemates in Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson) still very much there. He's also been in this spot before; he had only two goals in the first 10 games of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign and would finish with a league-leading 32 and did the same thing in 2008-09 (finished with 56 goals).
The 6-3, 238-pound winger needs to average at least 24 over the next three years to catch Gretzky, and there's still time to work with. As is the cliché, it's all part of trusting the process for Ovechkin right now.