Will Ovechkin hit 20 goals this season?

[sr edler]

Are the Caps good enough to have a lead late in that many games?

They are not super bad, so yeah, he most likely will get a bunch of ENGs, say 5 or 6 at least.

The most interesting thing this season is perhaps what percentage of Ovi's goal totals will be ENGs?

Over/under 20%?

Say he scores 25 goals with 8 ENGs, that's 32% or almost a third of your goals.

 

[cowboy82nd]

They are not super bad, so yeah, he most likely will get a bunch of ENGs, say 5 or 6 at least.

The most interesting thing this season is perhaps what percentage of Ovi's goal totals will be ENGs?

Over/under 20%?

Say he scores 25 goals with 8 ENGs, that's 32% or almost a third of your goals.

How’s he going to get ENG’s when the Capitals will be behind a lot this year?

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

I think he'll hit 20 if he stays healthy.

2 goals in 10 games is still a 16 goal pace. And it's not unreasonable to think he can probably pick up the pace a bit.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

If you don't want goals overturned perhaps don't throw yourself into the net like Ovi did on that Bäckström goal against Toronto. Perhaps Ovi got so frustrated with not scoring he mistook himself for the puck, and that's why he jumped into the net like that?

Is this a serious post or a joke? Honest question, I can’t tell.

 

[Toby91ca]

They are not super bad, so yeah, he most likely will get a bunch of ENGs, say 5 or 6 at least.

The most interesting thing this season is perhaps what percentage of Ovi's goal totals will be ENGs?

Over/under 20%?

Say he scores 25 goals with 8 ENGs, that's 32% or almost a third of your goals.

Thing is, you don't want to be a really, really good team as then you may be up by 2 or 3 goals late in games and not getting a shot at empty netters....but if you are a not so good team....most of your wins are likely going to be by 1 goal, so lots of empty net chances.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Would assume he still breaks 30 this year.

 

[Dr Pepper]

Or is he done as a goal scorer?

Needless to say, he won't break Gretzky's goal scoring record.

2 goals in 10 games is simply brutal by his standard. The russian machine might actually be broken.

Please discuss.

Gosh, you sure seem confident of this.

I still think it's inevitable.

Also...not sure if the comparison's been made, but are you equally confident Auston Matthews will continue scoring at his current pace, as you are about Ovechkin?

Or can we agree that things change over the course of a season and Ovy's gonna be just fine?

 

[MadLuke]

If Ovechkin continue to lead the league in powerplay time and to play almost all game, shooting that much at some point it will go in.

And I doubt the Caps will change course, what they will do instead try to win the cup with other players ? Him breaking the record will be their storyline this year and that an above average one.

 

[MS]

He’ll get 20 but time is really kicking in and I’ll be surprised if he gets to 30.

 

[DuklaNation]

If you've seen him play recently, he floats around a lot waiting for someone to feed him the puck. Relies on PP and empty net goals now.

In fact, of his 2 goals this year, 1 was on PP and 1 was ENG. The PP goal vs Leafs was with 11 seconds left in the period. So, its conceivable he could have had ZERO goals currently.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

The Capitals, as long as Ovechkin wants to play, will throw his corpse out there until he’s 45. That’s basically what they have to look forward to at this point.

Pretty much, and honestly, why not, can't say I wouldn't support that if I were a caps fan. Even if he only plays glorified 4th line minutes at ES while coming out for PP and EN situations. They'll hit the rebuild and nobody will care about the optics.

Anyone who thinks he'll retire before he breaks the record is delusional.

 

[Madap]

Pretty much, and honestly, why not, can't say I wouldn't support that if I were a caps fan. Even if he only plays glorified 4th line minutes at ES while coming out for PP and EN situations. They'll hit the rebuild and nobody will care about the optics.

Anyone who thinks he'll retire before he breaks the record is delusional.

I think lots of people will care about the optics. If he breaks the record like that, it’s a terrible look for the sport and probably a little bit embarrassing for him as well. He should blow by it, or at least earn it.

For the record though, I do think he turns it around this season and has little issue breaking the record.

 

[MadLuke]

Anyone who thinks he'll retire before he breaks the record is delusional.

Messier did only 11 games of the Howe record maybe part for respect, but we can imagine 2004-2005 lockout did it, nagging injury pilling up or a work stoppage (summer 2026).

At a 25 goals by 82 games pace, Ovechkin still need to play 230 games which make possible to not do it by the end of the 2025-2026 season and if there a no season at the start of 2026-2027, we are talking waiting post 40 for hockey to start back when we can imagine a fortune and glory wait for him to retire in a KHL uniform back home. And that when his current contract end.

One would bet on him making it, but it is not impossible, I am sure he wanted that record badly him an the organization, but if it is limping in, as a PP specialist when it does not matter until he is 44, used to greatness and have an asterix like Marleau for the all-time game record.... Marleau was playing 12 minute a night, scored 1 pts in his last 17 games

 

[YippieKaey]

That means he needs 35 goals in 65 games, 64 games if he doesn't score this 3rd period. Not sure how you think it's realistic to put up around a 50 goal pace

Cause he did that last year and has done so for..........oh wait his entire career.

I haven't watched a single Capitals game, can anyone comment on how he looks?

He looks good mostly, involved and doing a lot of nice passing. Obviously 38 years old and not so fast anymore but he's ppg i think.

 

[TooManyHumans]

If he keeps getting 4 shots a game and his shooting percentage returns to around his career average of 12.9%, then he is pushing 40 goals by the end of the season. Even if his shooting percentage climbs to only 8% the rest of the way, he is still going to get to around 25 goals. I'd bet that it ends up somewhere in between, and he ends up somewhere around the low 30s in goals. Then again, he might get hot at some point or he might actually be cooked. I guess we will find out.

 

[MacMacandBarbie]

Lol, guess people are new to OVs career in this thread. He always starts slow. He might not be a shoe in for 40 like he was in years past, and the last couple years showed he has slowed down a bit. But he will easily hit 30 and flirt with 40.

It’s a long season boys, and it’s November.

 

[Jugitsu]

Hope not.

 

[george14]

Ovi leads the league in PP TOI and he is also out there in pretty much every EN scenario (minus PK). He looks washed right now if I’m being honest.

At this point, the Caps are going to give him every chance they can. It may be a photo finish.

 

[wetcoast]

If he doesn’t get 20 I will eat my house piece by piece on live stream

Hoping he gets injured.....just to see this.



but man he has played over 60 minutes already on the PP and has a stat line of a single goal and an assist, father time has caught up and is fighting harder than Ovi at this point.

I'm sure he will stick around for the record but exactly how much of a hold will father time have on him while we watch?.

 

[Matty Sundin]

A lot of delusional denial hope here game by game from just box score watching.

 

[Video Nasty]

2 goals in 12 games. Enjoying the start so far. This has eclipsed his previous worst ever start of 2 goals through 11 games in the 2008-2009 season, strangely enough. I’m not seeing it based on the few games I’ve caught, but maybe he’ll have a renaissance and catch fire to hit 50 like back then.

 

[HurricaneFanatic]

Probably pissed tonight he didn't get the ENG.

 

[HTFN]

Hoping he gets injured.....just to see this.



but man he has played over 60 minutes already on the PP and has a stat line of a single goal and an assist, father time has caught up and is fighting harder than Ovi at this point.

I'm sure he will stick around for the record but exactly how much of a hold will father time have on him while we watch?.

He's clearly bothered by something upper body related in my opinion and frankly I don't know why nobody's talking about it.

He's passing on shots he would usually take and either Carlson can't find his wheelhouse with a map this year or it's impacting his ability to adjust to pucks because they just keep resetting to each other. It's arguably the first time in my life I've seen Ovechkin get a pass and send it right back like "no, I don't want that, you do it" and it happens multiple times on the powerplay right now.

I don't think he suddenly lost his shot after however many years it's been when just last year people were like "still shooting great, that won't likely change with age". Guy is a stubborn mule who doesn't like missing games

 

[abo9]

2 goals in 10 games?

4 goals in the next two games and hes back to 6 in 12 - a 40 goals pace

Of course he needs to score those 4 goals, but his shooting percentage is extrenely low relative to his norm. It wouldnt be too surprising if he did

 

[The Kingslayer]

He looks completely washed. Sad to see.