Caps’ struggles start with Ovechkin

DALLAS | When Bruce Boudreau watched video of his team’s recent loss in Calgary, he noticed something when Alex Ovechkin had the puck.

There were guys in red Flames jerseys - lots of them. The Washington Capitals coach said his star player was receiving even more defensive attention than normal, as Calgary defenders abandoned their assignments to gang up on No. 8.

“He’s just not getting the room he is accustomed to getting,” Boudreau said. “Everybody else was open, and he tried to get it to them. I think there’s a lot of people who are trying to just take him away. Unfortunately for the other teams, they are saying, ’Let’s take Alex away, and they won’t beat you.’ If the other guys start scoring, it will start to change those teams back.”

Ovechkin has two goals and two secondary assists in seven games this season. It might seem hard to believe that teams have found ways to direct more attention his way this season considering he has always been the centerpiece of opponents’ game plans.

But opponents have kept Ovechkin from scoring a goal in six of the Caps’ seven contests. At the beginning of this young season, it wasn’t a problem for Washington because other players were making teams pay for trying extra hard to slow down Ovechkin.

The Caps have lost three straight games, though, and notched only five goals in those contests - including back-to-back one-goal clunkers. Ovechkin is still getting plenty of looks - he has 17 shots on net in the three losses - but before Thursday night, 64 players had more goals than the reigning Maurice Richard Trophy winner.

“I don’t know about more attention,” Ovechkin said. “I think it is all about of me. Of course I have one guy with me all the time, but I still get chances to score goals. I had a good moment [against] Phoenix to score, but it just didn’t go in. It is just a matter of time I think.

“I just want to continue what I do. I play the same way like I did last year. I have still hits and lots of shots. It is just a time when the pucks go in. Last year I didn’t score for eight or nine games, and then I shoot from the blue line and the puck goes in when everything is going well.”

Ovechkin is not alone when it comes to offensive struggles for the Caps. His normal center, Nicklas Backstrom, has no goals and two points in seven games. Chris Clark and Viktor Kozlov - the two players who have played right wing on the top line - have combined for zero tallies and two points.

Michael Nylander and Tomas Fleischmann have no points in the three losses after both got off to hot starts. In fact, Alexander Semin is the only guy on the roster with more than two points during the losing streak - and he has three.

“When people start struggling scoring goals, what happens is they don’t become proactive and going after goals, they become hopeful and waiting for things to happen for them,” Boudreau said. “It is not just the guy you’re thinking about, but other people are waiting for the puck instead of saying, ’Damn it, I’m going to go get the puck, create the opportunities and make something happen.’”

Note - Boudreau said as many as two of his three injured players (Kozlov, Tom Poti and John Erskine) could return to the lineup Saturday night against the Stars at American Airlines Center, though he also said all three could still be held out.