Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I truly have no idea how many times I’ve watched this outrageous Luka Doncic pass.
In today’s SI:AM:
🤠 Luka’s revenge game
🏈 NFL combine update
🐐 Taurasi says goodbye
How is he 39?
Washington Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record has been one of the driving narratives of this NHL season, but he’s already made more history.
Ovechkin followed up a hat trick on Sunday with the lone goal in the 3–1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, putting him 12 goals away from breaking Gretzky’s record. That goal also gave him 30 on the season, meaning he’s now scored at least 30 goals in 19 of his 20 NHL seasons. (The lone exception was the 2020–21 season, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) He already set the record for most 30-goal seasons in a career last season and now has widened his lead in that category. He also became just the fourth player in NHL history to have 30 goals in a season at age 39 or older, joining Teemu Selanne, Johnny Bucyk and Gordie Howe.
Ovechkin is enjoying his best season in years. Tuesday’s goal brought him within one goal of matching his output from all of last season. It’s especially impressive considering Ovechkin was sidelined for nearly six weeks in November and December with a knee injury and has only played 42 games this season. He’s averaging a goal scored every 1.4 games, his hottest scoring pace since the 2007–08 season, when he led the NHL with 65 goals. His output (tied for sixth in the league in goals scored) has been even more remarkable because he’s averaging a career low 17:45 of ice time per game, roughly a minute-and-a-half less than he played last year.
Ovechkin has understandably garnered the majority of the headlines for the Caps, but don’t sleep on how excellent his team has been. Washington has the best record in the Eastern Conference, and by a wide margin. The Caps have 84 points through 58 games (38–12–8), one game behind the Winnipeg Jets for the best record in the NHL and 10 points better than the next closest team in the East (the Toronto Maple Leafs). It’s the fourth time in franchise history that the Caps have won at least 38 of their first 58 games, and the first time since the 2016–17 season, when they finished with the best record in the league but bowed out in the second round of the playoffs. Tuesday’s loss to Calgary was the first time Washington had suffered a regulation defeat at home since Nov. 23—a span of 16 home games.
Ovechkin’s offensive renaissance has obviously been critical for Washington, and he’s a big reason why the Caps have the most prolific offense in the NHL this season, leading the league with 212 goals scored (3.66 per game). Ovechkin leads the way, of course, but he’s one of six Washington players with at least 15 goals this season. Tom Wilson, known primarily as either a bruiser or a cheap-shot artist, depending on who you ask, has already set a new career high with 26 goals. Aliaksei Protas, a 24-year-old in his fourth NHL season, has broken out in a major way with 23 goals after scoring just 13 in 169 games over his first three seasons. It’s a similar story for 24-year-old Connor McMichael, who has 20 goals after scoring 27 in his first 155 career games. Veteran center Dylan Strome is on the verge of setting a new career high in assists.
But Washington isn’t just lighting up the scoreboard. It’s also stymying its opponents with an excellent defense. The Caps rank fourth in the league in goals allowed with 146 (2.52 per game), thanks to a combination of tight defense and stout goaltending. Washington ranks 10th in the league in fewest shot attempts allowed and second in save percentage, buoyed by two fantastic offseason additions. One of those is goalie Logan Thompson, who is having a career-best year after being acquired in June from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a pair of third-round picks. The other is defenseman Jakob Chychrun, who was acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators and ranks second this season among Washington skaters in average ice time.
The Caps’ combination of elite offense and elite defense has led to their best season in nearly a decade. They’ve been a consistent winner throughout Ovechkin’s tenure but haven’t won a playoff series since they won the 2018 Stanley Cup. Could Ovi lift the Cup for a second time this year?
The best of Sports Illustrated
- Chris Mannix was in L.A. for Luka Doncic’s first game against his former team and wrote about how the Lakers are already exceeding expectations so soon after the deal.
- Albert Breer is at the NFL combine in Indianapolis and has a list of prospects who could start rocketing up draft boards.
- Matt Verderame thinks the Chiefs would be smart to have a free agency reunion with cornerback Charvarius Ward.
- Diana Taurasi, one of the greatest players in the history of basketball, announced her retirement after 20 years in the WNBA.
- The Colts aren’t committed to having Anthony Richardson be their starting quarterback next season.
- Aaron Rodgers reportedly wants to play for the Rams.
The top five…
… moments from Luka Doncic’s first game against the Mavericks:
5. Hugs all around for his former teammates after the game.
4. This two-man game with LeBron James that shows how difficult that pairing will be to stop.
3. Lakers fans chanting “Thank you, Nico.”
2. Luka’s staredown at the Mavs bench after drilling a deep three.
1. Luka’s preposterous no-look pass to Austin Reaves.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | Alex Ovechkin Reaches Another Milestone.