"He hasn't forgotten how to score," Carbery said of the Capitals captain, who has two goals in the first 10 games of 2023-24.
"He hasn't forgotten how to score," Carbery said of the Capitals captain, who has two goals in the first 10 games of 2023-24.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — For Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, goals haven't necessarily been hard to come by over the course of his historic career. But now, 10 games into his 19th NHL season with Wayne Gretzky's goals record sitting just 71 red lights away, Ovechkin has hit a wall — and a rare one.
So far, Ovechkin has just two goals, with one of them coming on a backdoor power-play goal and the other coming on a long-range empty-netter. Besides that, the captain's 41 other shots have been turned aside, while he's also seen 24 attempts blocked and 21 miss the net completely.
While it's unfamiliar territory, but not completely foreign for him; he's been in this situation twice before, once in 2012-13 when he finished with 32 goals and again in 2008-09 when he struck 56 times. And for head coach Spencer Carbery and general manager Brian MacLellan, this is another lull that he'll break out of the same way.
"I think he's getting looks and I think they'll eventually go on in for him," MacLellan said calmly.
The 6-foot-3, 238-pound winger's shot is still among the most impressive and fastest in the NHL, though he's only shooting at 4.7 percent so far. Most of his chances are coming from the "office," though he's also found success from close range and being around the crease. For Carbery, that movement will be vital and serves an integral role when it comes to getting him back on track.
"[He hasn't] forgotten how to score," Carbery explained matter-of-factly, adding, "I think there's a few things he could do away from the puck a little bit better to help himself offensively. We've talked about those things and he's getting into good spots."
While he's still shooting the puck, Ovechkin hasn't shied away from shifting into a "pass-first" mode this season to look for a play over a shot. As a result, he has six assists and is still producing at nearly a point-per-game pace.
The problem, though, comes from him and the entire offense being unable to finish on opportunities. There are missed chances, opportunities shanked wide, passes not landing on the tape and out-of-sync playmaking leading to failed opportunities. Ovechkin's also shooting at just 4.7 percent so far.
"We're just not quite executing at the level that we expected," Carbery added.
Why? It's a difficult question for the team to answer. First, Washington is still adapting to a new coaching staff and new system. Second, confidence has been difficult to come by, and hockey is just as big a mental game as it is a physical one.
For Carbery, though, that's just the game.
"Just sometimes through your career, through seasons or for whatever reason, it just dries up for a bit," Carbery said. "Then all the sudden, whatever, something will spark it."
So, when it comes to fixing Ovechkin, Carbery said the team has a plan in place to find a solution and, ultimately, get him to bust out.
It starts with his wicked shot and the man advantage, which has struggled out of the gate. and, at the root of all of that, is more movement and getting to the right areas of the ice rather than having one high-danger area on the ice.
"His shot, power-play wise, we can help him out a little bit," Carbery said. "We'll always be looking here and there and how we can help him get into even more spots to create and use his skill set.
"Some of it is passing. Our passing on the power play, passes to him, but also, he can help that as well by getting his feet set, being able to adjust off certain passes, seeing a play that's about to come. We're just a little bit off, and then when teams sit on him: 'Okay, our plan B.' And it should be boom, boom, boom, and that's what we're still working through."
At the end of the day, it's clear that Ovechkin is in a tough spot, as several of his chances have not landed for him. However, the Capitals refuse to bet against the 38-year-old, who must average 24 goals over the next three years to overtake Gretzky before his contract ends.
"It's gonna come. It's gonna come," Carbery said calmly.