For the second time in his career, Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin has begun an NHL season without a goal across the first four games.
On the night of October 22, local Moscow time, the 38-year-old Russian did deliver an assist in the regular season tilt against the Montreal Canadiens, but the helper could not prevent a defeat for Washington. The Capitals fell 3-2 in overtime, a setback that kept them out of the win column for the fourth straight start to the campaign.
As a result, Ovechkin’s scoring drought stretched over all four of Washington’s opening games. That sequence mirrors a similar start from the 2012-2013 season, when the goal drought was followed by a prolific stretch in which he posted 32 goals across 48 regular-season appearances. The long-range consistency that has defined his career remains a topic of discussion as the team charts its early path in the schedule.
Across his NHL tenure, Ovechkin has accumulated 822 goals in the regular season, placing him behind only Wayne Gretzky who sits on the all-time list with 894. In conversations about Russian snipers, his name frequently appears near the top, underscoring the longevity and impact he has produced over the years.
Looking ahead, Montreal is scheduled to play against the Buffalo Sabres, while Washington is set to meet the Toronto Maple Leafs. The upcoming matches are slated for October 24 and 25, respectively, and will test each team’s ability to respond after the early-season results.
A separate note from the league’s recent action mentions a game in which Kucherov had previously contributed three points, but that performance did not alter the outcome for Tampa Bay in that particular contest.