Ovechkin’s First Goal As Captain (1/7/2010)

January 7, 2010 - Despite going pointless in his debut with the “C“, fans knew it wouldn’t be long before he would get on the board. Throughout the first 2 periods Ovechkin had many chances, but Senators’ goalie Pascal Leclaire seemed to focus all his good goaltending for shots off of the Great 8’s stick despite letting in some questionable goals. Ovechkin ended a lengthy (at least by 2009-10 Ovi standards) 2-game scoring drought with assists on 2 Nicklas Backstrom goals in the 3rd period, but a goal remained elusive. With under 2 minutes remaining, Ovechkin picked up a loose puck and powered his way around the defense, finishing with a backhand goal to the top shelf as the Senators chasing him down crashed into Leclaire. Few plays are so emblematic of what Ovechkin was like at his peak - the speed, the power, and the finish. It may not stand out to many fans as one of his best games, but for Capitals fans, it is one of his most underrated strong performances. - Period 1 - 0:00 - Intro 2:18 - Early chance 2:48 - Backcheck on Kelly - Period 2 - 3:01 - Chance 3:14 - Nice backcheck on Foligno 4:13 - Steals puck for breakaway chance 4:22 - Backcheck on Winchester leads to offensive chances 4:52 - Chance - Period 3 - 5:38 - Assist #1 on Backstrom goal 7:08 - Assist #2 on Backstrom’s 2nd goal after nice moves in neutral zone 8:47 - Leclair robs Fleischmann after Ovechkin makes a nifty pass 9:22 - Goal All clips belong to the NHL. They are being used for entertainment purposes only, not for profit.