By The Numbers: Ovechkin off to slow start as Capitals struggle

Alex Ovechkin's 19th career NHL season is off to a slow start.

The Washington Capitals captain, who leads all active players in goals and sits 72 back of Wayne Gretzky for the all-time record, has just one assist through three games.

The 38-year-old winger was also held without a shot on net in back-to-back games for the first time in his career this week after recording four shots in a season-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins last week.

The Capitals are off to a 1-2-0 start with their star winger quiet, falling 6-1 to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday after picking up a shootout win over the Calgary Flames on Monday.

“We’re leaving our [defencemen] out to dry a little bit with the puck in our own zone,” Capitals forward Dylan Strome said after Wednesday's blowout. “And maybe the forwards aren’t doing a great job of coming back and helping them out. I think we’re leaving [goaltender Darcy Kuemper] out there to dry.

"We haven’t gotten a lot of shots in all three games. … We’re 1-2-0, and could easily be 0-3-0.”

The Capitals have averaged just 22 shots per game this season - 31st in the league - while allowing an average of 34.7 shots against.

Ovechkin's Record Chase

Ovechkin's quiet start comes after he posted 42 goals and 75 points in 73 games last season as the Capitals missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. He had 50 goals and 90 points in 77 games during the 2021-22 season.

Signed through the 2025-26 season at a cap hit of $9.5 million, Ovechkin still has plenty time to overtake Gretzky.

He would need to average just over 24 goals a year over the next three seasons to do so. 

Montreal a welcome sight?

Seeing the Montreal Canadiens on the schedule for Saturday night could be a welcome sight for Ovechkin, who has enjoyed considerable success against the Habs over the course of his career.

The nine-time Rocket Richard winner has 37 goals in 55 games against the Canadiens and averages more than a point per game with a total of 64.  

Ovechkin's 15.3 per cent conversion rate on shots against Montreal is the fifth best against any team he's faced in his career. His best mark is against the Minnesota Wild, converting on 18.4 per cent of all shots for a total of 19 goals in 21 games against the franchise.

Ovechkin sure to heat up?

The Great 8 went three straight games without scoring last year before victimizing the Vancouver Canucks for two goals and four points.  

He posted just one goal in his next four games before finding his touch with five goals in six games en route to topping the 40-goal mark for the fifth straight season with at least 68 games played. He had 24 goals in 45 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season.

As for the Capitals, another 1-2 start could be a reason for pessimism. Washington held the same record through three games last year before missing the playoffs.