NHL record for shots in a game was close
You can see it yourself Alexander Ovechkin I was so tired of talking about his inability to score that Washington’s captain approached the home game against Toronto as busy as possible.
In fact, the first four matches of the championship were empty for Ovi – only 2 (0+2) points with nine shots on target, and in two consecutive matches Alexander the Great did not shoot on goal at all.
Experts quickly calculated that by the age of 38, Ovechkin’s speed had already declined (in two seasons it fell from a peak of 35.6 to 32.04 km/h) and strength of click became lower (from 163.3 to 146.5 km/h). .h).
In general, Ovi is no longer the same. And what to do in this case?
The answer is simple: you have to score.
And imagine that Alexander had as many as 17 shots in the game against Toronto! Additionally, two of them were blocked and once Ovechkin missed the target. But 14 shots were on target.
It must be said that Sasha almost repeated the Washington club record. Ovechkin has only managed 15 shots per game twice, in 2006 and 2015. In the first case he scored twice against Carolina, in the second he scored nothing against the bewitched Detroit. But this focus on the goal is in itself enjoyable. By the way, the all-time NHL record belongs to Boston defenseman Ray Bourque, who in 1991 shot 19 times for Quebec (and scored one goal).
Washington targets first pick in draft
Already at the beginning of the second period, with the score 0:1, Ovechkin could have scored by jumping into the Toronto goal, but he was prevented from doing so by Maple Leafs defender Mark Giordano. The referee awarded a free throw. And then Ovi would have carried out this shooting in the mind of Evgeny Kuznetsov – slowly, with emotion, with meaning, with arrangement.
But Ovechkin couldn’t beat Toronto goaltender Joseph Wall. Although he repeated another NHL record, making a free throw for the 13th time in his career. Only Vincent Lecavalier from Tampa has made as many attempts. In general, this is a rare phenomenon in hockey.
At the end of the second period, the scoreboard was 4:0 in favor of Toronto. The opponent scored both on the power play and at even strength, and Auston Matthews scored, about which Ovi said he could also join the historic Gretzky-Ovechkin race.
Washington seemed desperate. Looking at the overall standings, the Capitals scored three points. Edmonton has the same number (3), but the Oilers will go higher when Connor McDavid returns from injury. Well, San Jose (1) is at the bottom, but to be worse than the Sharks you have to try really hard.
This season, Washington is unlikely to make the playoffs, let’s be objective. But the capital team needs a big restructuring, so it is now heading for the first pick in the draft. The Canadian McLean Celebrini, the American Cole Yzerman or the Russian Ivan Demidov could be selected there in June 2024. Ovechkin will be able to pass on his valuable experience to some of them.
Ovechkin and his “power play kitchen”
But Ovechkin still scored his goal by converting on the power play 11 seconds before the second break. By the way, the goal was not easy: Alexander the Great became the first in human history to score 300 power play goals in the NHL. He has long held first place in this indicator, his closest pursuer, Dave Andreychuk (274), remains far behind. But three hundred goals with one extra – no one has reached this height before.
At the same time, Joseph Wall became the 170th goalkeeper in Ovechkin’s collection, against whom he scored a goal. This is Alexandre’s 823rd goal, there are 71 steps left before Gretzky’s record.
After the match, Wall shared his thoughts on the game of the best sniper of our time.
“Obviously, Ovechkin has an excellent shot. No wonder he scores so many goals. He was a dangerous player, especially on the power play. I think we did a good job. Our defenders, trying to stop Ovi, made some great blocks,” the goalkeeper said.
Is it okay to say that? “Majority cooking game.” That is, Ovechkin already seems to goalkeepers like a kind of cook.
“When you think about him a lot, you assume that Ovechkin will probably shoot from different positions,” Wall continued. “I was just trying to feel the situation as best as possible.”
In fact, Ovechkin will continue to score. The next day, Washington plays in Newark, and the New Jersey goal will probably be defended by Akira Schmid (89.2%). Here God himself ordered to be distinguished.
A day later, Minnesota will arrive in the American capital, and the two goalkeepers there – Gustafsson (90.6%) and the veteran Fleury (86.8%) – do not shine with their reliability.
And a day later one of the worst clubs in the league, San Jose, will come to Washington, and here Mackenzie Blackwood (90.6%) and Kaapo Kakkonen (89.7%) are still mousecatchers.
Let the speed drop and the click won’t be so loud. But Ovechkin will inexorably, like a Terminator, get closer to Gretzky’s record. As Alina Zagitova would say, it’s “inevitable”.
NHL. Regular season
Washington Capitals (Washington) – Toronto Maple Leafs (Toronto) – 1:4 (1:1, 0:3, 0:0)
Goals: Ovechkin, 19:49 (bol.). — Riley, 12:53 (Bol.) Tavares, 25:41. Nylander, 26:29. Matthew, 35:07 (bol.).
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
