Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
April 9, 2013 - When the Capitals hired Adam Oates as head coach in the 2012 offseason, one of his biggest responsibilities was to get Alex Ovechkin scoring goals at the elite rate he had reached in his first five seasons. While Ovechkin's first season under the new bench boss got off to a rocky start, by the time April rolled around, the Great 8 was scoring goals better than just about anybody in the NHL. An April 9th matchup against the Habs in Montreal wasn't just a chance for the Caps to prove themselves against another playoff team; it marked three years to the day since the last time Ovechkin had led the NHL in goals outright. Coming into the game, Ovechkin was tied with Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos - the same player who tied Ovechkin on April 10, 2010 and eventually stole the Rocket Richard Trophy from him that same season by a single goal. A stretch of 16 goals in 14 games had propelled the Capitals' captain to the top of the leaderboard, and in the hometown of the player for whom the goal-scoring crown was named, Ovechkin found the back of the net again with a brilliant goal to catapult him to the number one spot in the Rocket Richard Trophy race all alone. Not only was his scoring touch back, but the flair and showmanship that had attracted so many fans in his early years had returned to his overall game. Stamkos would also score later that night to temporarily take away Ovechkin's sole possession of the number one spot, but for about an hour, Ovechkin stood alone atop the NHL's goal-scoring leaderboard. The goal wasn't Ovechkin's only contribution on the night, as he also dished out a season-high eight hits to round out his performance. April 2013 turned out to be one of Ovi's most productive months ever, with 14 goals in 13 games as the Caps went 11-1-1 to close out the season. Ovechkin would finish the season as the NHL's leading goal scorer for the third time in his career, as well as the league's only player to hit 30 goals in the shortened season.
Stats: 1 goal, 1 point, 2 shots, 3 shot attempts, 8 hits, 1 block, 1st Star of the Game.
- 1st Period -
0:00 - Intro
0:17 - Hit on Josh Gorges forces turnover and chances for top line
0:45 - Hit on Tomas Plekanec
0:53 - Defensive play
1:17 - Joe B and Locker discuss Ovechkin's resurgence
2:24 - Hit on Brian Gionta (uncredited)
2:33 - Hit on Michael Ryder (uncredited)
- 2nd Period -
2:44 - Hit on Ryder (uncredited)
2:50 - Goal, nutmegs Ryder before beating Carey Price
3:51 - Hit on Gorges
4:00 - Attempted hit on Ryder
4:08 - Dangle around PK Subban to set up Backstrom chance
4:24 - Hit on Subban
5:10 - Shot
5:19 - Hit on Max Pacioretty
- 3rd Period -
5:29 - Hit on Pacioretty
5:34 - Joe B and Locker discuss Ovi's resurgence pt. 2
6:55 - Shot block
7:10 - ISO cam of Ovi's recent production
8:17 - Final buzzer
More classic Ovechkin games - youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH8bFa0t7qpQfBYEXybnEr9NbAqFcPyyq
April 9, 2013 - When the Capitals hired Adam Oates as head coach in the 2012 offseason, one of his biggest responsibilities was to get Alex Ovechkin scoring goals at the elite rate he had reached in his first five seasons. While Ovechkin's first season under the new bench boss got off to a rocky start, by the time April rolled around, the Great 8 was scoring goals better than just about anybody in the NHL. An April 9th matchup against the Habs in Montreal wasn't just a chance for the Caps to prove themselves against another playoff team; it marked three years to the day since the last time Ovechkin had led the NHL in goals outright. Coming into the game, Ovechkin was tied with Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos - the same player who tied Ovechkin on April 10, 2010 and eventually stole the Rocket Richard Trophy from him that same season by a single goal. A stretch of 16 goals in 14 games had propelled the Capitals' captain to the top of the leaderboard, and in the hometown of the player for whom the goal-scoring crown was named, Ovechkin found the back of the net again with a brilliant goal to catapult him to the number one spot in the Rocket Richard Trophy race all alone. Not only was his scoring touch back, but the flair and showmanship that had attracted so many fans in his early years had returned to his overall game. Stamkos would also score later that night to temporarily take away Ovechkin's sole possession of the number one spot, but for about an hour, Ovechkin stood alone atop the NHL's goal-scoring leaderboard. The goal wasn't Ovechkin's only contribution on the night, as he also dished out a season-high eight hits to round out his performance. April 2013 turned out to be one of Ovi's most productive months ever, with 14 goals in 13 games as the Caps went 11-1-1 to close out the season. Ovechkin would finish the season as the NHL's leading goal scorer for the third time in his career, as well as the league's only player to hit 30 goals in the shortened season.
Stats: 1 goal, 1 point, 2 shots, 3 shot attempts, 8 hits, 1 block, 1st Star of the Game.
- 1st Period -
0:00 - Intro
0:17 - Hit on Josh Gorges forces turnover and chances for top line
0:45 - Hit on Tomas Plekanec
0:53 - Defensive play
1:17 - Joe B and Locker discuss Ovechkin's resurgence
2:24 - Hit on Brian Gionta (uncredited)
2:33 - Hit on Michael Ryder (uncredited)
- 2nd Period -
2:44 - Hit on Ryder (uncredited)
2:50 - Goal, nutmegs Ryder before beating Carey Price
3:51 - Hit on Gorges
4:00 - Attempted hit on Ryder
4:08 - Dangle around PK Subban to set up Backstrom chance
4:24 - Hit on Subban
5:10 - Shot
5:19 - Hit on Max Pacioretty
- 3rd Period -
5:29 - Hit on Pacioretty
5:34 - Joe B and Locker discuss Ovi's resurgence pt. 2
6:55 - Shot block
7:10 - ISO cam of Ovi's recent production
8:17 - Final buzzer
More classic Ovechkin games - youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH8bFa0t7qpQfBYEXybnEr9NbAqFcPyyq
