Alex Ovechkin hasn’t scored in his last 13 shootout attempts, dating back to 2022. The Capitals are still using him anyway: ‘It’s a gut call.’
WASHINGTON, DC — Alex Ovechkin authored the Capitals’ third period resurgence on Saturday, scoring his 902nd career goal against the New Jersey Devils to tie the score, but he extended his unsuccessful shootout streak when the game stretched past overtime.
Ovechkin has now gone 13 straight shootout attempts without scoring, with his last success coming on March 25, 2022. No other player with 10 or more attempts has gone goalless over that span.
Ovechkin shootout attempts since beginning of 2022-23 season
Date
Opponent
Ovechkin goal
October 31, 2022
Carolina Hurricanes
X
November 17, 2022
St. Louis Blues
X
March 9, 2023
New Jersey Devils
X
October 16, 2023
Calgary Flames
X
October 27, 2023
Minnesota Wild
X
December 7, 2023
Dallas Stars
X
December 23, 2023
Tampa Bay Lightning
X
December 30, 2023
Nashville Predators
X
March 22, 2024
Carolina Hurricanes
X
March 30, 2024
Boston Bruins
X
January 2, 2025
Minnesota Wild
X
November 1, 2025
Buffalo Sabres
X
November 15, 2025
New Jersey Devils
X
Though Ovechkin didn’t shoot in the first three rounds of the skills competition, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery sent him over the boards as the team’s fourth shooter. That choice proved the deciding moment of the game: after Devils goaltender Jake Allen stopped Ovechkin’s attempt, Simon Nemec snuck the puck past Logan Thompson for the win.
Carbery told reporters postgame that Ovechkin’s strong third period convinced him to give him a chance to shoot.
“It’s a gut call, even though he struggled recently — it’s been a while since he scored in the shootout,” Carbery said. “But that’s just a gut call for a guy that’s had a good third period, so give him an opportunity to shoot there.”
Despite Ovechkin’s lack of shootout success, Carbery has continued to give him opportunities, albeit less regularly than he once did. Ovechkin has gone over the boards in 10 of 16 shootout games since Carbery took the bench in 2023-24, including both shootout losses this season.
Ovechkin shootout usage under Carbery
Date
Opponent
Did Ovechkin shoot?
October 16, 2023
Calgary Flames
Yes
October 27, 2023
Minnesota Wild
Yes
December 7, 2023
Dallas Stars
Yes
December 14, 2023
Philadelphia Flyers
No
December 17, 2023
Carolina Hurricanes
No
December 23, 2023
Tampa Bay Lightning
Yes
December 30, 2023
Nashville Predators
Yes
March 22, 2024
Carolina Hurricanes
Yes
March 30, 2024
Boston Bruins
Yes
January 2, 2025
Minnesota Wild
Yes
January 6, 2025
Buffalo Sabres
No
February 9, 2025
Utah Mammoth
No
March 3, 2025
Ottawa Senators
No
April 10, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes
No
November 1, 2025
Buffalo Sabres
Yes
November 15, 2025
New Jersey Devils
Yes
Carbery dove into the team’s approach to the shootout after Saturday’s loss and took personal accountability for the decision to send Ovechkin out.
“We’ve gone through (the shootout) a lot,” Carbery said. “We’ve talked about it for hours and hours and hours. Got our analytics team involved in it. So we’ve come up with sort of a set order. And then after that, it’s a little bit on instinct. Tonight — O normally doesn’t shoot. But I’ll take responsibility for putting him in the shootout there, just with the third period he has.”
The Capitals’ shootout struggles aren’t new. They’ve won six of 16 shootout games since 2023-24 and went two-for-five last season. But for a Capitals team that’s struggling to rack up points, this year’s shootout losses could come back to bite them.
“It’s one of those things that maybe add up at the end of the season, that will matter,” Dylan Strome said postgame. “So it would be nice to get some wins in that category, for sure.”
“We’ve got to find a way to get some results in the shootout,” said Carbery.
