The last week has been a terrible one for the Washington Capitals. A shootout loss to the hated Philadelphia Flyers, and a pair of 5-0 blowouts to the Devils and Thrashers have the Capitals in the midst of a three-game losing skid. The more troubling part of these losses is the virtual non-factor that superstar Alexander Ovechkin has been, which is happening far too often these days.
In fact, Ovechkin has been off his game offensively for quite some time. Last season, going into the Olympic break, Ovechkin was leading the league in virtually all offensive categories, and scoring at a torrid pace. However, after the break, his offensive touch was seemingly M.I.A for the rest of the season, scoring just eight times in his last 18 games, a far cry from the 42 goals he scored in the season's first 54 games.
This season, Ovechkin's goal struggles have continued. While Steven Stamkos and Sidney Crosby have become the league's top snipers, Ovechkin has managed just 10 goals in 22 games, giving him 18 goals in his last 40 regular season contests.
Projecting that rate over a full season, Ovechkin is a 35-to-40 g ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Ryan Davenport
Alex Ovechkin’s Struggles Raise Questions for Washington Capitals Forward
November 23rd, 2010 by Ryan Davenport Leave a reply »
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