"Spencer Carbery is going to extremes to get the most out of a 40-year-old Alex Ovechkin. And the resulting methods have made Ovechkin the most uniquely deployed player in the NHL. According to NaturalStatTrick, 556 skaters have played over 100 five-on-five minutes this season. Ovechkin is the only player who has not had a shift start in the defensive zone. The next closest skater is Nashville Predators forward Fedor Svechkov, who has started four shifts in his own end."
"Ovechkin's primary centerman, Dylan Strome, has also been aggressively deployed, getting only five defensive-zone starts, which is tied for the third-least in the league. The 58 offensive-zone starts Ovechkin has received from Carbery lead the Capitals and rank fifth most in the NHL, behind only Nazem Kadri (62), Morgan Rielly (60), Kirill Kaprizov (60), and Tim Stutzle (59). Two of Ovechkin's three goals this season have also come off set plays after offensive zone faceoffs."
Spencer Carbery has minimized Alex Ovechkin's defensive-zone starts to preserve his effectiveness and freshness during an 82-game season. Ovechkin, age 40, is the only player among 556 skaters with at least 100 five-on-five minutes to have zero five-on-five shift starts in the defensive zone. Primary center Dylan Strome also receives extremely sheltered deployment, with only five defensive-zone starts. Ovechkin has 58 offensive-zone starts — the Capitals' team lead and fifth-most in the NHL — and two of his three goals came from set plays following offensive-zone faceoffs. Multiple teams employ similar sheltering strategies, with several clubs featuring multiple players in the bottom 30 for defensive-zone starts.
Read at RMNB
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