Welcome to Top-Shelf Takes, a weekly series from staff writer Mary Clarke all about the NHL. Lace up your skates as we dive deep into the epic highs and lows of this little sport called hockey.
I think we, as hockey fans, have been desensitized to the greatness of Alex Ovechkin.
It’s pretty understandable how we got here, honestly. Ovechkin has been playing in the NHL for nearly two decades. The life-long Washington Capital has been part of our lives as hockey fans since he put up 52 goals and 106 points in his rookie year way back in 2005-06. For some hockey fans, they’ve never known a world in which Ovechkin hasn’t been automatic from his left wing circle office.
On Tuesday, Ovechkin scored his 800th career goal, making him just the third NHL player in history to hit that mark alongside Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin entered the night needing three goals to hit 800 and, fittingly, scored a hat trick to cap off the historical evening.
And hey, not an empty netter in sight either!
Ovechkin is now just 95 goals away from passing Gretzky and breaking the NHL’s career goal scoring record that’s stood the test of time since 1999. Quick math says Ovechkin is currently on a 52-goal pace, which would put him at 832 on the year after he finishes his age-37 season. As long as Ovechkin stays healthy and continues to pace this well, we’ll be witnessing NHL history before his 40th birthday in 2025.
For some time now, it’s felt like we — as a hockey community — have taken what Ovechkin is doing for granted. When the greatest goal scorer of our time routinely scores 50 times over the course of an 82-game season, it can feel a bit mundane in the thick of it. But scaling out to a wider view, Ovechkin’s greatness is simply… breathtaking.
Think about it. Ovechkin is chasing a record many never believed would be broken set by the greatest hockey player of all time. As someone who never watched Gretzky play growing up, Ovechkin’s chase to become the best goal scorer in NHL history has no comparable. And somehow, for many of us, this display of grandeur has become the norm. Expected even!
One day, sometime very soon, Ovechkin won’t be playing in the NHL anymore. It seems impossible to fathom now but it’s a fact. And hopefully before then, Ovechkin becomes the NHL’s greatest scorer of all time. Until that point, I’m no longer going to take Ovechkin for granted. Every goal he’s ever scored and every goal he will ever score before his career ends is a gift that we should be cherishing. Because one day, Ovechkin will no longer be playing hockey and these moments we once looked forward to will only be memory.
Three stars
3. Scoring race continues between some heavy hitters
The NHL scoring race is real fun this year. Between Connor McDavid (26 goals), Jason Robertson (23), and Tage Thompson (23), the youth of the NHL is on full display. It finally feels like the torch has been passed between the old hockey guard and the new. Goals are once again up overall compared to previous years (3.17 average goals per game versus last year’s 3.14) and this injection of youth is clearly driving the bus.
2. Ducks fans, you’re the real ones
The Ducks are, by far, the NHL’s worst team this year. The team has just one — yes, only one — regulation win in 30 games played. Anaheim is last in the NHL with a 7-20-3 record and a dismal minus-60 goal differential. Any Ducks fan sticking it out with this team right now deserves every prayer you can muster and any drink money you can Venmo them.
#NHL GameScore Impact Card for Anaheim Ducks on 2022-12-13:#FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/79Kge5awbz
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) December 14, 2022
1. Alternates are the way to go for the Sabres
This year, the Sabres introduced red and black alternates to their jersey lineup that throw it back to their late 1990s and early 2000s getup. In the three games the Sabres have played with these alternates, the team has gone 3-0-0 and have outscored their opponents by a wide margin.
Sabres in black and red ⚫️🔴
3-0
Outscoring opponents 18-5 pic.twitter.com/zWi8Yxy6Ry
— Joe DiBiase (@SneakyJoeSports) December 14, 2022
Yeah, these jerseys have got to stay.
Overachiever of the week
Edmonton Oilers
Are the Oilers returning to dominance or are they just taking advantage of a soft spot of their schedule? In their last 10 games, the Oilers have gone 7-3-0 and put themselves back in playoff contention after flirting with disaster in November. Over their last eight games, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has 11 points and Zach Hyman has 14 as the Oilers offense keeps on chugging with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the charge.
November was tragic for the Oilers, who were reeling from the sudden injury to Evander Kane, so it’s great to see them rebound. Still, none of their wins in this stretch came against top 10 teams, so count me still in the skeptical camp until they prove themselves against better teams.
What to watch
Flames vs. Blues – Friday, December 16
This is a key Western Conference matchup between two teams fighting for a playoff spot. The Flames are in much better position right now than the Blues, who sit five points out of a wild card spot, so this one is a must-win for St. Louis on the road.
Canadiens vs. Lightning – Saturday, December 17
A rematch of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final? Count me in! Seven points separate these two Atlantic Division teams, as Montreal has surprisingly done better than expected for themselves this season.
Hurricanes vs. Penguins – Sunday, December 18
Another intra-division matchup, this time in the Metropolitan. The Penguins have gotten back on track and the Hurricanes continue to be rock-solid as the season progresses into late December. This should be a good one on pure entertainment factor alone.
Quick hits
- Tage Thompson’s really grown into a fun hockey player! The Sabres forward put together a ridiculous five-goal game last week and has 44 points in 29 games played so far this year. Buffalo may be a basement-level team, but keep an eye on Thompson for sure.
- Brayden Point gave us one of the most silky-smooth goals of the NHL season after making the Kraken’s defense look absolutely silly on this play.
Brayden Point puts on the moves and scores an absolutely b-e-a-u-tiful goal! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/oWZm3ciwGp
— NHL (@NHL) December 14, 2022
This is not what you want to do as a defense against one of the top talents in the league.
