On the Fly: Ovie's goal, the kids in Colorado, and McDavid's pointless start
"On the Fly," theScore's NHL roundtable series, continues, with contributions from our NHL team: Justin Bourne, Justin Cuthbert, Josh Gold-Smith, Craig Hagerman, Ian McLaren, Navin Vaswani, and Ben Whyte.
Ovechking
Vaswani: We need to talk about the goal Alex Ovechkin scored Saturday, because it isn't getting the praise it deserves. He's spoiled us over the past decade, finding the back of the net 476 times, but there was something a little magical in how No. 8 found the back of the net for his first of the season. Watch it. We'll wait. Ridiculous, right? Now, let's simply break it down in words. Maybe that'll make you appreciate it more.
Ovechkin picked up the puck at the left circle in the Capitals' zone, and was gone. Down the off wing, he picked up speed, and poor John Moore, you could see his life flash before his eyes. That's when it got absurd. Moore, a left-handed shooter, was using his stick with only his right hand to try and keep Ovechkin in front of him. So Ovie did what only Ovie can do: at the top of the circle, at full speed, he passed the puck through his legs to himself, the puck then going under the stick of an outstretched Moore, who was turning to his right, trying to save his own life. Now below the circle, Ovechkin was seemingly out of room, but he put the puck back on his forehand and chipped it - from what looked to be an impossible angle - into the corner, glove side, where the post meets the crossbar. Come. On. How are more people not talking about that goal?!? Go watch it again, and appreciate it this time.
The kids seem alright
Whyte: Among the 12 players who have four or more points five days into the season, you'll find impressive starts from rookies (Oscar Lindberg and Artemi Panarin), sophomores (Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Stone), and established stars (Patrick Kane and Zach Parise). But the most intriguing members of the list are the Colorado Avalanche's young duo of Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog.
It's a very small sample, but both have five points through two games after posting only three three-point games combined last season (MacKinnon had two, Landeskog one). If the Avalanche hope to climb back out of the Central Division basement, continued improvement from the pair of top-two picks will be key.
McDavid who?
Hagerman: The sky is falling. Connor McDavid has played two games in the NHL and isn't a lock for the Hart Trophy yet.
Much has been made about the Edmonton Oilers' generational talent going pointless through six periods, but why? McDavid, some might forget, is only 18, and while supremely talented, is still learning the ropes. Those chewing at their finger nails and aimlessly yelling at their television sets for McDavid to dazzle should recall another one of the league's greats: Steven Stamkos.
The Lightning captain had only 46 points in his rookie season after being selected first overall in the 2008 draft. He went pointless in his first seven games, and didn't score until his ninth game. In fact, Stamkos wouldn't find the net again until game No. 22. However, in his sophomore season, Stamkos went off for 51 goals and 95 points. He hasn't looked back since.
It may take a little bit of time for McDavid to find his footing, but rest assured the hype is warranted. Most NHL superstars aren't built in a day.
Howlin'
Cuthbert: Let's take a moment to applaud the 2-0 Arizona Coyotes.
Believed to have shot themselves in the foot, instead the Desert Dogs have been shot from a cannon, outscoring, out-defending, and out-goaltending the Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins - two teams with legitimate Cup aspirations - in succession to start a season that, for all intents and purposes, was supposed to be a throwaway.
The Coyotes frustrated the Kings on Friday, taking advantage of timely bursts of offense on a night where the opposition controlled the flow of action. But in their home opener some 24 hours later, they took it to Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, Evgeni Malkin, and the Penguins off the hop, and managed to maintain their assertiveness and, well, dominance throughout.
Arizona's young guns - namely Max Domi and Anthony Duclair - haven't yet looked out of place, but they weren't the difference in these two victories. Mike Smith stopped 67-of-69 of his shots against in his first two wins of the season (he won all of 14 last season), the most-impressive of which came in the face of a late barrage from Pittsburgh.