Ovechkin Puts On A Show vs. The Ducks (1/27/2010)

January 27, 2010 - After going pointless in the previous game it was almost a guarantee that Alex Ovechkin would end up on the scoresheet. After all, he had only been held pointless in 8 of his 44 games and had gone back-to-back games without a point just once. Sure enough, Ovechkin scored the fastest goal of his career up to that point, an easy goal into an open net just 36 seconds into the game. After a 1-1 tie through 2 periods, the Caps flexed their offensive guns in the third with 4 goals. Ovechkin would assist on 2 of those goals, the first coming after a great deke around Hall-of-Fame defenceman Scott Niedermeyer to set up Mike Knuble. The win was the Capitals' 8th in a row, their longest winning streak in 26 years.
While a 1-goal 2-assist outing doesn't immediately stand out the way some of his more notable games do, when watching this game you can still see what his play looked like during what my opinion was his absolute peak as a hockey player. Like his first 4 seasons, he was all over the ice, on every shift he was dangerous. But what puts this form of Ovi over his 2007-08 and 2008-09 versions for me is his hockey sense. Not only was he in the midst of a stretch where he scored 50 points in 25 games, but he was making smart plays at both ends. He picked off passes, made good defensive reads, and every pass felt like it was tape to tape. Not to mention he could also knock pretty much any player in the league to the ground, no matter if he was delivering or receiving the hit.
- Period 1 -
0:00 - Game start
0:34 - Goal
1:42 - Give and go with Backstrom
2:00 - Intercepts pass, hit on Niedermeyer
2:33 - Good defensive play leads to offensive chance
3:00 - Sets up Backstrom for chance
3:15 - Gets through defenders for chance
- Period 2 -
3:51 - James Wisniewski tries to hit Ovechkin, key word: tries
- Period 3 -
4:25 - Counter hit on Bobby Ryan
5:21 - Assist #1, dangles Scott Neidermeyer to set up Knuble
6:31 - Assist #2
7:46 - Ovechkam
8:35 - Final buzzer
All clips belong to the NHL. They are being used for entertainment purposes only, not for profit.

[@rahulkasiraman3402]

can we appreciate that Semin laser? piss missle

[@Tyty28173]

Love these, thanks for what you do!

[@stevesando6695]

no better 2-way center than backy in his prime

[@trey7911]

I'm sorry but this is just wrong. Huge huge caps fan, but that's ridiculous. Backy isn't even the best 2 way center ovi has played with. That would be Fedorov.

[@stevesando6695]

@@trey7911 dude...I was just plugging backy b/c i really like him and i dont think he;s gotten the credit he deserves. i have no doubt you could school me on the various metrics to determine the best 2-way center ovi has played with. but i'm not so sure it would be fedorov in his last 2 years in the nhl. don't take this wrong, but backy has 55 more assists in 180 fewer games. that was surprising to me. take care

[@tonydesimone60]

@@stevesando6695 comparing backstrom to Fedorov is just ridiculous. The latter is leagues better

[@KaleFGB]

Did Pavel get Thanos snapped? Love Backy, but no shot

[@stevesando6695]

@@KaleFGB You guys have indeed pointed out my foolishness. Backy is nowhere near the best 2-way center.

[@utah9112]

You’re the best channel on KZbin 🐐🥅