Has Ovechkin finally adjusted his game?
Watching Ovechkin's top 5 plays of the week, I'd say so. All the moves, assists and goals are uncharacteristic of Ovi we know of in the past.
He scored tons of goals in his NHL career when he'd move in the zone and shoot hiding behind the defensemen. The whole NHL adjusted, the defensemen block his stick when he shoots and stay very close. Goalies are on a higher alert when they see their defenseman's butt and Ovi's hding behind.
Did Ovi scored any of those in these top 5? The answer is no. Instead Ovi goes to the net and scores on redirection. Those goals are virtually impossible to stop, and yes, unlike Ovi's individual efforts, it requires team work, somebody has to shoot the puck first. Another adjustment for Ovi is going to the net and scoring on rebounds. Again, doing so requires a team work.
Here's what a bit delirious :) Ovi said after the win over Leafs:
"I’ll take these goals and I’m going to try to do the same in every game," and that is an adjustment. This is what Crosby actually did last season and this season. For Crosby it was the only way, he has no wrist shot and his slap shot is non-existent. So he had to figure it out long time ago.
But I was glad to see that one of Ovi's trademarks, his explosiveness, was back. I wish we could put Ovi on the scales, he is probably under 230 pounds now. Just look how he accelerates past Tomas Kaberle! And Kaberle is a very good skater.
Scouting report on Kaberle:
Possesses tremendous hockey smarts and the ability to find his teammates with excellent passes. A good skater, he loves to join the attack.
Ovi's back, long live Ovechkin and 'Go, Caps'!
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1 comment:
Lucky goals??? IMO Ovie was making a case to the All-Star captains to select him early LOL!
Seriously, Ovie's goals resulted from hard work and adjustments by him and the team overall. It took some time, and they had to overcome a lot of adversity along the way. But if last night's game is any indication of lessons learned, Ovie and the Caps are looking very good at this stage of the season.
Also, perhaps the likely injury to his wrist/hand forced him to make the necessary adjustment to compensate for the lack of slap shot and wrist shot. Other teams have been defending him out in open ice. The injury might have sent Ovie the message to adjust his game and take advantage of his size and strength to counter the opposition's defense.
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