Ovechkin Postgame WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin hasn't just been a different player down the stretch for the Washington Capitals; he's been a force. The captain, who struck twice en route to Sunday's 3-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets, has kicked his game into a higher gear as the Capitals continue to battle for a playoff spot, putting on a show while doing a complete 180 following a lackluster start to 2023-24. Through the first 43 games of the season, Ovechkin had just eight goals. Now, he has eight goals in his last five games and 18 in his last 24 overall, and he's up to 26 total on the season for 848 career NHL goals. "I don't know what else to say; it's not surprising," John Carlson said. "It's obviously great to see at a pivotal time of the year. That's huge, the captain leading the troops. We've kind of fallen in line." If he were scoring at this .75 goals-per-game pace from the start of the season, he would have 61 goals, and if carries over this rate into next year, he can break Wayne Gretzky's record by next summer. He sits 47 goals away from that record. The 38-year-old isn't thinking that far ahead right now, though; he's taking things game-by-game, and right now, the primary focus is on a shot at the postseason. "I think right now you can see how we play. I think everybody have confidence, everybody understand the situation," Ovechkin said. "How I said a couple days ago, that's why we fight all year... when we finish the season in two weeks, we want to keep playing." Ovechkin's confidence is notably higher, though, as he's been able to raise his game to a higher level. Pucks are finally falling for him, but beyond that, he's been finding different ways to score. He's more mobile than he was in the first half, and he's been shooting the puck more and getting to the high-danger areas. "I don't know (if I expected to turn it around). Puck goes in. You know, I find a way to find the shooting lanes," he said, before sneaking in a grin, "And sticks." For head coach Spencer Carbery, it's a testament to the work that Ovechkin's put in to rebound, while he also added that he can sense that these games are do or die for Washington. And ultimately, it's that mindset that helped his team storm back into the hunt and steal back the second Wild Card spot while closing in on the Philadelphia Flyers for third in the Metropolitan. "He's made so many big plays for us finishing wise that we've needed since Day 1 of the season, and now he's just delivering in such a big way," Carbery said. "For him at the point he's at in his career when it's the most important games of the year, our season's on the line almost, it feels like every night, he's just delivering in a big way. He deserves a lot of credit."
