Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
March 13, 2012 - Only two years removed from three straight 100-point, 50-goal seasons, Alex Ovechkin's scoring had dipped well below what people had come to expect from the Great 8. With just 27 goals and 51 points through his first 65 games, it marked the second straight season with a noticeable departure from Ovechkin's previous level of production, when he had managed at least 38 goals and 80 points through 65 games in each of his first five seasons. Questions about Ovechkin's play were louder than they had ever been, fueled not just by Ovechkin's individual play but a tumultuous season that saw head coach Bruce Boudreau fired and replaced with former Capitals captain and enforcer Dale Hunter in an attempt to get the Caps, and Ovechkin in particular, to play a more defensive style. Combined with a lengthy injury to Ovechkin's centerman, Nicklas Backstrom, the Caps found themselves fighting for a playoff spot late in the season after leading the Eastern Conference in points in each of the two prior years. Facing a 4-1 deficit against the 27th-place Islanders, it looked like Washington was headed for another disappointing loss in a crucial game. After a Dennis Wideman goal stopped the bleeding, Ovechkin cut the deficit to one with a goal in the last minute of the second period. Just over halfway through the third period, the Capitals captain willed the puck into the net on a persistent three-shot sequence to tie the game at four. After providing one more goal in the shootout, Capitals shootout-extraordinairre, Matt Hendricks, provided the winning goal with his signature "Paralyzer" move. Ovechkin's two-goal effort not only played a crucial role in securing the win, it also seemed to spark Ovechkin's offense. He finished the season red hot with 11 goals in his final 13 games, his best goal-scoring stretch since before the 2010 Olympic break.
- 1st Period -
0:00 - Puck drop
0:53 - Butch Goring and Howie Rose discuss Ovechkin's down year
1:58 - Chance
2:06 - Hit on Travis Hamonic
2:24 - Deke around Andrew MacDonald and chance
2:49 - Pass to Marcus Johansson for chance
- 2nd Period -
3:41 - Goal 1
- 3rd Period -
4:38 - Shot
5:01 - Goal 2
6:34 - Shot block on Frans Nielsen in final minute
6:42 - End of regulation
- Overtime -
7:52 - Shot block on Nielsen
8:00 - End of overtime
- Shootout -
8:12 - Shootout goal
8:44 - Butch Goring gets introduced to Matt "The Paralyzer" Hendricks as he scores to win the game with his signature move
More classic Ovechkin games - youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH8bFa0t7qpQfBYEXybnEr9NbAqFcPyyq
March 13, 2012 - Only two years removed from three straight 100-point, 50-goal seasons, Alex Ovechkin's scoring had dipped well below what people had come to expect from the Great 8. With just 27 goals and 51 points through his first 65 games, it marked the second straight season with a noticeable departure from Ovechkin's previous level of production, when he had managed at least 38 goals and 80 points through 65 games in each of his first five seasons. Questions about Ovechkin's play were louder than they had ever been, fueled not just by Ovechkin's individual play but a tumultuous season that saw head coach Bruce Boudreau fired and replaced with former Capitals captain and enforcer Dale Hunter in an attempt to get the Caps, and Ovechkin in particular, to play a more defensive style. Combined with a lengthy injury to Ovechkin's centerman, Nicklas Backstrom, the Caps found themselves fighting for a playoff spot late in the season after leading the Eastern Conference in points in each of the two prior years. Facing a 4-1 deficit against the 27th-place Islanders, it looked like Washington was headed for another disappointing loss in a crucial game. After a Dennis Wideman goal stopped the bleeding, Ovechkin cut the deficit to one with a goal in the last minute of the second period. Just over halfway through the third period, the Capitals captain willed the puck into the net on a persistent three-shot sequence to tie the game at four. After providing one more goal in the shootout, Capitals shootout-extraordinairre, Matt Hendricks, provided the winning goal with his signature "Paralyzer" move. Ovechkin's two-goal effort not only played a crucial role in securing the win, it also seemed to spark Ovechkin's offense. He finished the season red hot with 11 goals in his final 13 games, his best goal-scoring stretch since before the 2010 Olympic break.
- 1st Period -
0:00 - Puck drop
0:53 - Butch Goring and Howie Rose discuss Ovechkin's down year
1:58 - Chance
2:06 - Hit on Travis Hamonic
2:24 - Deke around Andrew MacDonald and chance
2:49 - Pass to Marcus Johansson for chance
- 2nd Period -
3:41 - Goal 1
- 3rd Period -
4:38 - Shot
5:01 - Goal 2
6:34 - Shot block on Frans Nielsen in final minute
6:42 - End of regulation
- Overtime -
7:52 - Shot block on Nielsen
8:00 - End of overtime
- Shootout -
8:12 - Shootout goal
8:44 - Butch Goring gets introduced to Matt "The Paralyzer" Hendricks as he scores to win the game with his signature move
More classic Ovechkin games - youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH8bFa0t7qpQfBYEXybnEr9NbAqFcPyyq
