Believe it or not, the Capitals once had a winning record when Alex Ovechkin wasn’t in the lineup. It’s not that they were a really good team without him, it’s just that they managed to sweat out some victories despite not having the Great 8 on the left wing.
This season, the Caps are 0-6 without Ovi, as he’s missed two games with a lower body injury – including Tuesday’s 5-3 loss to the Rangers – and four games due to the death of his father.
The previous three game set they lost weren’t as consequential, as they came at the end of the 2021-22 season when they were clearly being cautious with him before the playoffs.