Alex Ovechkin is struggling to find the back of the net in his final NHL season.
The 41-year-old winger, who announced in September that this year would be farewell tour, has just one goal and four points through 16 games this season.
The sniper is without a goal in 11 straight games and is on pace for just five goals this season, which would be, by far, the lowest output of his career.
Ovechkin has been the face of consistency throughout his storied run with the Capitals, having topped 30 goals in all but one of his previous 21 seasons - the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign, when he had 24 goals in 45 games.
The drop off this fall has come after Ovechkin posted 32 goals and had 64 points in 82 games last season, building his lead on the all-time record for career goals.
He scored goal No. 895 to surpass Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history in April of 2025. He had 929 goals entering this season but still remains nine back of Gretzky for the most goals in the regular season and playoffs combined, a record that seemed sure to fall when the season began.
It’s hard to say whether Father Time has simply caught up to the Great 8 this season, or if this is just another cold snap for the Capitals captain.
Ovechkin went through a career-long 14-game goal drought early in the 2023-24 campaign, posting just seven goals in the first 34 games of the season before finishing with 31 goals in 79 games.
His current stretch in the second-longest goal drought of his career, though, and coincides with his average ice time dropping to a career-low 13:47 per game. Last season saw Ovechkin average the lowest total of his career at 17:26, well above where he is this year through 16 games.
“I’m happy with his play,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery told the Washington Post this week of Ovechkin’s season to date. “I like what I’m seeing, the underlying numbers, the shifts, the film. He’s doing good things, so that’s what I care about. And now, obviously, I’d love to see [him] get rewarded with a few ending up in the back of the net.”
“You just have to stick with it,” Ovechkin added Tuesday before an overtime win over the Ottawa Senators. “You have to work. It doesn’t matter how many minutes you play, you just have to go up there, do the best that you can to help the team win.”
Known for scoring from his specific spot with the man advantage, Ovechkin remains on the Capitals’ top unit and is averaging 3:12 of ice time on power play per game this season.
The Capitals power play is converting at a paltry 18.2 per cent, with Ovechkin having yet to find the back of the net this season. Their success rate ranks 25th in the league.
Despite the struggles of their veteran star and the power-play unit, the Capitals sit within striking distance of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Washington is two points back of the Florida Panthers and four back of the Ottawa Senators in the wild-card race with three games in hand on both clubs.
In the Metropolitan Division, the Capitals are three points back of the New York Rangers for third place, with four games in hand.
The team will visit the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.