Years before it became obvious that Alex Ovechkin was going to smash the NHL’s all-time goals record, he had an unbroken five-season run leading the league in power-play goals.
The 101 pucks he pumped home with the man advantage over that stretch, from 2012-13 to 2016-17, prompted opponents to significantly adjust how they gameplanned around him. And how the Washington Capitals superstar adjusted back offers a pretty good window into why he now finds himself knocking at history’s door.
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“His game, it really changed within that period because teams started on the penalty kill just standing a guy by him,” former Capitals coach Todd Reirden tells The Athletic. “The penalty kills
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