Goalless in three straight, Ovechkin no longer top two in NHL in points, goals

The race for the top goal scorer in the NHL is heating up, and Alex Ovechkin is falling (slightly) behind.

Ovechkin, who spent most of the first three months of the season as a top-two goal-scorer in the NHL, hasn’t found the back of the cage in three straight games. He’s now third in the league with 29 goals — two behind Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl and Rangers star Chris Kreider, who are tied for first with 31. 

He also hasn’t recorded an assist in the last three games for his longest pointless streak of the season. The goalless streak, meanwhile, is the second-longest of the season for Ovechkin. “The Great 8” had a four-game drought earlier this month.

In the new year, Ovechkin has five goals and three assists in 12 games. The totals are solid, but they are worse than the MVP-level numbers he was putting up before. 

In points, Ovechkin, who led the league 10 days ago, is now tied for third with 58, four behind leader Jonathan Huberdeau of Florida. If his slight slump continues — especially his recent decline in assists — it’s possible he falls out of the top five in February. 

While Ovechkin hasn’t scored in a few games, it’s not all bad for Washington. The Capitals are coming off one of their best wins of the season — a 5-0 triumph over Dallas. 

As the Capitals are rumored to be interested in trading for goalie Marc-Andre Fleury — a former rival when he played with the Penguins — they welcomed back a familiar face on Friday in Stars goalie Braden Holtby. 

Despite the reunion, which included hugs and conversations between Holtby, Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, the Capitals didn’t take it easy on their former longtime netminder who was a member of the 2018 Stanley Cup squad. The Capitals scored five goals on 27 shots against Holtby in two periods before he was benched. 

All love between Ovi & Holtby ❤️️ pic.twitter.com/Xd3RxbkKhs

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) January 29, 2022

Meanwhile, Capitals goalie Vitek Vanecek, who has started five of the team’s last six games, pitched his second shutout of the season with 29 saves. 

The win ended a two-game skid for Washington (24-12-9). The Capitals end January with a 4-6-2 record and are in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with 57 points.