Ovechkin is no longer on a top line
Devils 3, Caps 2 (OT)
Ovechkin played LW, but with new partners, Jay Beagle and Joey Crabb. ...hmmm... According to Japer's Rink it is a fourth line, but RotoWorld calls it a second line. Head Coach Adam Oates calls it "not a first line" (in a post game interview he could only say "I wouldn't call it the first line.")
Moreover, after Ovechkin tumbled on the blue line in overtime Devils countered with Kovalchuk scoring winning goal. A total disaster.
Ovechkin had only one shot on goal and 1 hit, but was on receiving end of many Devils hits. That looked very unusual. Was he playing injured?
If Ovi is a shadow of vintage Ovechkin nowadays, today he was a shadow of his shadow. Ovi has one assist in 4 games and is -1. Alex Ovechkin, the Great Eight, has hit all time low, I would say.
Meanwhile, his former road roommate and fellow countryman Alex Semin had scored his first for Carolina. Yay? :-)
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3 comments:
I think he's still adjusting to the different ice space and systems from the KHL to the NHL. I have faith he's going to return to being amazing. Even Backstrom is struggling right now, as are the rest of the Caps' top guys-- Alzner, Carlson, and Green.
And I think Oates' comment about the lines was phrased so he wouldn't seem to be downplaying the importance of any of them. If you look at the ice time, he rolled three lines fairly consistently. The PP's and PK's threw off some strange combos too.
The caps are a complete mess! But today they played better... on the first and third period that is and Neuvy was also good on the net. Ovi looks slow and lost! Nicky is giving terrible passes and this a disaster.
I hope they get it right.
Anyways, SASHA scored! On power play, Ha! Oh, Varlamov is doing awesome too! :)
ovechkin will never be a top player again or anywhere close to that
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