Despite slow start Ovechkin’s 7 goals still leads Caps

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This article was published 17/11/2011 (5073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The coach can sense his frustration and some defenders across the National Hockey League are admitting they are finally keying in on some of Alex Ovechkin’s tendencies.

Alexander the Great? With just seven goals in 16 games this season, his lowest goal total at this point since entering the league in 2005-06?

“My job is to score goals and I just score seven goals right now,” he said with a shrug after he skipped the Capitals game-day skate at MTS Centre.

Asked to describe his play so far in 2011-12, Ovechkin said: “So-so. It seems when the team plays well, I play well. And sometimes when the team plays no good, I play no good. That’s kind of our year.”

The Caps enter tonight’s game on a bit of a skid, dropping a 3-1 decision in Nashville after falling 3-2 in a shootout to New Jersey. Washington opened the season with seven straight wins, but is just 3-5-1 since.

“You can’t win all 82 games,” Ovechkin said. “Sometimes you lose a game and you play great.(Against Nashville) Defensively in the first three periods we played great but in the last five minutes we just lost our concentration. We made two mistakes and we lose it. Their goalie (Pekka Rinne) played unbelievable.”

This will be Ovechkin’s first game here as a Capital, but not his first visit to Manitoba. He participated in the World U-17 championships in Selkirk in 2002. He said he hasn’t heard a whole lot of talk about the atmosphere at Jets’ games, but did add, with a grin: “I know it’s sold out here and if you buy season tickets you have to buy for three years. It’s kind of a good business plan.”

Worth noting, while his game is analyzed and over-analyzed: Ovechkin’s seven goals is still the Capitals’ team high. But his 54 shots this season does not rank among the NHL’s Top 20.

When he was asked near the end of his media scrum on Thursday if he thought the chances are still there for him, Ovechkin smiled.

“I always have chances.”

Ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait