Shaky Canadiens On Faucet For Hungry Ovie

To date this season, the Montreal Canadiens have given up 41 targets, the third most within the league. Of their final 4 video games, they’ve needed to fetch the puck out of their very own internet 20 instances.

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In the meantime, the Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin has put up seven factors in eight video games together with 4 targets. From a manufacturing standpoint, the Nice Eight is already essentially the most deadly Russian participant to skate on NHL ice, with 1557 factors in 1434 video games, he averages 1.09 level per recreation and 0.60 objective per recreation.

That is not the title Ovie is chasing nevertheless, what he needs to be is the best objective scorer in NHL historical past. After scoring twice in the Capitals 5-3 win over the New York Rangers last night, he has 857 targets to his identify, second solely to Wayne Gretzky who holds the document with 894 targets. The Nice One obtained them over 1487 video games, 53 extra matches than Ovechkin.

The face of the Capitals’ franchise wants 38 video games to interrupt Gretzky’s document and he nonetheless has another yr left on his contract. May he rating that many targets this season? It is not out of the realm of potentialities. Final season he lit the lamp 31 instances which by his requirements, was an off yr.

May he benefit from the Canadiens’ go to to pad up his whole? It would not be stunning, in spite of everything Montreal come to city with two goalies who’re struggling of late. Samuel Montembeault has a 3.67 goals-against common and a .891 save proportion whereas Cayden Primeau’s GAA stands at 4.02 and his SP is at .871.

Related: Canadiens: What to Expect From Cayden Primeau

Caught in a goaltending threesome final season, Montembeault and Primeau have been most popular to veteran netminder Jake Allen who was traded to New Jersey. His departure left Montembeault because the primary goaltender, a job he had but to play within the NHL since being drafted by the Florida Panthers again in 2015 with the 77th total choose. The Becancour native is underneath contract with the Habs for 2 extra season whereas backup Primeau who was a really late choose for Montreal on the 2017 draft (199th total) is in a contract yr and will probably be a restricted free agent on the finish of the yr.

To date, Ovechkin has performed 58 video games in his profession towards the Canadiens, placing up 67 factors together with 38 targets. Lower than two years in the past, because the Capitals destroyed the Habs 9-2 to shut out 2022, the captain scored a hat trick nevertheless it was on Jake Allen who was stored in internet till the bitter finish.

Within the final recreation between the 2 sides in February, Ovechkin was stored off the objective column by the identical Allen in a 4-3 win for the Caps. Earlier in the identical month, he scored a single objective towards Montembeault in a 5-2 defeat and within the first assembly of the season, he was blanked (though he did have an help) by Allen in a 3-2 Canadiens OT win.

Will probably be fascinating to see who Martin St-Louis provides the nod to tomorrow as each goalies have been shaky in final night time’s defeat, however whoever it’s, they’re going to want a great dose of confidence to efficiently stand within the Nice Eight’s method as he chases historical past. Whether or not he breaks the document or not although, when he hangs them up, Ovechkin’s expertise on the ice will probably be missed, but he may well be preparing someone to take over.

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