Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin is the most impactful player of 2020
The most impactful player on the Washington Capitals is Alex Ovechkin.
We all know the kind of season Alex Ovechkin had before the NHL went on a pause. Once NHL hockey is back on our TVs, Ovechkin will be relied upon to help the Washington Capitals try to achieve their ultimate goal.
After a “down” season in 2016-17 where Ovechkin only scored three goals, he turned his career around and defied age by leading the NHL in scoring for three seasons in a row.
In that magical 2017-18 season, Ovechkin scored 49 goals. Last season he added 51, his eighth season of scoring 50 or more goals.
More from Editorials
- Alex Ovechkin will score 50 goals in 2023-24
- It’s time for Capitals fans to chill out with the Anthony Mantha hate
- The Capitals Have Several Potentially Bad Contracts
- Nic Dowd looks to show reliability
- Dylan Strome’s Contract Could Be A Steal For The Capitals
This season he had 48 before the season was paused and we all know if this novel coronavirus didn’t happen and the regular season was finished we would be talking about another 50 goal season.
As awesome as Ovechkin is, he was also criticized by hockey media for not being able to win the big championship. In 2018, he put all those doubters and haters on silent and those same people that doubted him began to heap nothing but praise on the Caps captain once he won the Stanley Cup.
In that playoff run, Ovechkin scored 15 goals and added 12 assists for 27 points. Looking back at last season, although the Caps fell short in their bid to repeat after a first round upset to the Carolina Hurricanes, Ovechkin wasn’t the guy to blame for the loss.
In those seven games, Ovechkin had four goals and five assists for nine points. Clearly it wasn’t his fault. Losing is a team effort and in the end the Hurricanes got the bounce they needed in double overtime.
Overall, Ovechkin’s playoff numbers are pretty solid. He has 65 goals and 61 assists for 126 points in 128 playoff games. His very first playoff game saw him score the game-winning goal, giving us a glimpse of what the future would hold from watching Ovechkin night after night rooting for him to bring home the Stanley Cup.
Ovechkin will be relied on to lead a team facing unprecedented territory as the 24 team Stanley Cup playoffs is looming large across the hockey world. He’s been training in Florida and will likely be back in town very soon.
The Caps will have to face the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers in the round robin, three quality opponents and a good opportunity to fine tune their game until the team enters “tournament mode”.
Must Read. Washington Capitals: Three Takeaways From Ilya Samsonov’s Rookie Season. light
For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.