It's no secret that Alex Ovechkin is having one of his worst seasons as a pro. He has just 12 goals in the first 35 games of the year this season, 15 fewer than he had at the 35-game mark last year. So there are many stats that illustrate Ovechkin's struggles.
↵But none really jumped out at me until I read this one on Japers Rink today. We think of Ovechkin as a power-play sniper, able to put in goals with the man advantage at will. This season, though, that's completely changed. He's barely made any dent at all when the Capitals have sent an opponent to the box.
↵↵↵↵↵The Caps have now had 38 consecutive power-plays without AO registering a point on one, and 84 in a row without an Ovechkin goal.
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Wouldn't it be amazing if that last number reached 100 at some point? Those who know hockey will tell you that Ovechkin has spent more time on the blue line on the power play than closer to the net, which is helping to cause his struggles. Maybe it's time to let Ovie go back to being Ovie instead of trying to change his position.
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