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Everyone sees Ovi in the circle, but can't stop his rocket launch |
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When Alex Ovechkin steps on the ice for a power play he’s not thinking about picking the corners or being deceptive. He’s not looking to throw a change-up.
Ovechkin sets up in the left wing circle. Waits for the cross-ice feed. Puck on stick. Then it’s whizzing past the goalie’s ear.
“Everybody in the world knows where he’s going to be and how he scores goals and yet he still finds a way to score goals,” Detroit Red Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic said. “That’s the challenge. How do you stop him? It’s not like he’s doing anything different.”
That’s why Ovechkin is now just four goals from becoming the highest-scoring power play performer in NHL history. Ovechkin has 274 goals, leaving him three behind Dave Andreychuk.
It took Andreychuk 1,639 goals to compile that record. That’s 430 more than Ovechkin needed to get within striking distance.
“When you put that kind of talent together -- the speed, strength, desire, competitiveness and talent, then a lot of things are going to get done,” Andreychuk said.
Andreychuk compiled his power play tallies with a different modus operandi. He stood in front of the net, six feet from the goalie, and converted passes or deflected shots.
With Ovechkin, it’s about the bullet that he launches on a one-timer. Andreychuk jokes that he scored 640 NHL regular-season goals and only one came off a one-timer.
He considers Ovechkin unique for his talent and methods.
“I don’t think there are a lot of comparables,” Andreychuk said. “There are guys who are similar. But let’s face it, he’s at the top of class.”
Andreychuk’s career ended in 2005-06, the same season Ovechkin started. Andreychuk quit at 42. Ovechkin is 36. Andreychuk played for six different teams and Ovechkin has only played for the Washington Capitals.
“Four or five years ago, I think he had 33 goals and everybody said, ‘Oh my God, he’s on the way down," Andreychuk said. "He sure proved everybody wrong.”
To understand how effective Ovechkin is on the power play, consider that he has averaged roughly 17 power play goals per season. Andreychuk, meanwhile, played 23 years and averaged about 12 power play goals per season.
“It’s harder to score generally now,” said Andreychuk, the Tampa Bay Lightning's Vice President of Corporate & Community Affairs. “The penalty kill has changed through the years.”
They each scored 20 or more power play goals four times. Andreychuk’s best power play season was 1992-93 when he had 32 power play goals for the Buffalo Sabres. Ovechkin’s best power play year was 2014-15 when he netted 25.
Ovechkin led the NHL in power play goal scoring for five consecutive seasons starting in 2012-13.
“It’s the compete level, the willingness to win,” Andreychuk said. “That’s what puts him above everyone else...He’s special.”
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