Quote:
Originally Posted by JPhillips
That's seven goals for Ovi to start the season. The spinning wrist shot to the top corner was vintage Ovi.
The Caps look solid for another strong season and disappointing playoffs.
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I'm shocked they look this good right now. They've got 2.5 legit defensemen and a very thin top 6 forward group. I still expect them to not make the playoffs, but 5 of Ovi's 7 goals are from driving the net and getting into the slot between the dots. That's something I haven't seen since probably 2010-11. It's wild to see this transformation even in the regular season (remember last year he was barely top 15 in goals and top 20 in points).
I'm guessing the GM calling him out publicly for being out of shape in the playoffs and finally settling down and getting married has gotten him to be a bit more serious. He came into camp early for the first time ever and was 15 lbs lighter than last year. He's also apparently pissed about the Olympics. With that said, he's still been zero effort in the defensive zone so not everything has changed. I'd still put money on the Caps being sellers and starting the needed rebuild at the trade deadline.