Ovi started the season with a goal pace that would hold him to a total of 34 goals for the season after his scoring picked back up in the second half, but leaving him tied with Lucas Raymond (Detroit RedWings), Yegor Sharangovich (Calgary Flames), and Jordan Kyrou (St. Louis Blues) for 36th in league scoring, but that is OK!
Ovi now stands at 853 goals in his illustrious career, from a season marred by the loss of long-time partner Nicklas Bäckström, who was unable to return to the ice at the level he wanted to play after his hip resurfacing surgery last year. It wasn't an unexpected loss, but it did kick our hero in the teeth, and probably hard, especially following so close on the death of his father, Mikhail, last year. For now, Bäckström is on long-term injured reserve, but who knows? Stranger things have happened... like the Caps making the playoffs this year! Who knows? Nicky might one day make his return, just for a couple of games, to assist Ovi to the all-time goal scoring record one day.
Player Games Played Goals Difference
Wayne Gretzky 1487 894 +44
Alex Ovechkin 1426 853
44 goals with two more full seasons on Ovi's contract? Even at 31 goals a year, he will have 915 goals when his contract ends! Career, his goals per game is nearly 0.6 (0.5981), scarcely behind Gretzky's 0.6012.
As for the points race... well, Villain Sidney Crosby jumped a few spots this season (but the Penguins didn't make the Big Show, so there is that!) Ovi and Sid are the only active players in the top 15 all time points scorers.
Player Games Played Points Difference PPG
Wayne Gretzky 1487 2857 +1307 1.921
Jaromir Jagr 1733 1921 + 371 1.108
Mark Messier 1756 1887 + 337 1.074
Gordie Howe 1767 1850 + 300 1.054
Ron Francis 1731 1798 + 248 1.039
Marcel Dionne 1348 1771 + 221 1.313
Steve Yzerman 1514 1755 + 205 1.133
Mario Lemieux 915 1723 + 173 1.883
Joe Sakic 1378 1641 + 91 1.191
Sidney Crosby 1271 1594 + 44 1.254 (92/81=1.136)
Phil Esposito 1282 1590 + 40 1.240
Ray Bourque 1612 1579 + 29 0.979
Alex Ovechkin 1426 1550 1.086 (65/79=0.823)
Joe Thornton 1714 1539 - 11 0.897
Sid outperformed Ovi this season, but hey... the Penguins are on the outside looking into the playoffs, and that, in the end, is what is most important to Ovechkin.
My prediction put Sid with 1550 points - what Ovi ended up with this year, and put Ovi with 1542 points, so both players outperformed my prediction, but Ovi's slow start really hurt. Thankfully, it didn't hurt the team as badly! Ovi did overtake Joe Thornton, as did Crosby, whose 92 points also overtook both Ray Bourque and Phil Esposito in a damn good season.
I'm not going to troll the Penguins anymore for missing the playoffs; it really did come right down to the last game, but the Caps beat the Flyers, and squeaked in, and the Pens, with one game remaining, cannot catch them... neither, for that matter, can the Flyers.
And so, with one last game on the schedule for some teams, the hunt for Lord Stanley's Beer Mug will begin very soon... and the grid is already locked down. The Caps face the Presidents' Trophy-winning Rangers in Round 1.
I am not going to try and do statistics beyond "who has the most goals/points, etc." - and pray.
Hail Rocket, full of goals,
The puck is with thee!
Blessed art thou among scorers,
And blessed is the fruit of they stick, goals!
Holy Rocket, scorer divine,
Pray for our Capitals,
Now, and at the hour of puck drop.
Saint Jacques of the First Mask,
Defend us on the ice!
Be our protection against the goals of our enemies
And do thou, o Prince of Goaltenders
By the power of thy stick
Cast from the goal mouth all Rangers' pucks,
Protect us from 'own goals' and keep our net safe
From those seeking the end of our playoffs.
AMEN!
