Capitals’ Ovechkin held pointless in loss to Senators

It appears Alex Ovechkin hasn’t yet solved his scoring woes.

Once one of the most prolific scorers in the NHL, Ovechkin has one goal and two points in the Washington Capitals’ first six games of the season.

On Tuesday, two days after finally notching his first of 2013, Ovechkin was kept off the score sheet and the struggling Capitals coughed up a 2-0 lead to the Ottawa Senators, eventually losing 3-2.

Ovechkin was reduced to just two shots on goal.

“Of course, I want to be in the position where I score goals and help my team win,” he told Globe and Mail hockey writer Roy MacGregor prior to Tuesday’s game against Ottawa. “If I have an opportunity to score, I have to score.”

The Capitals gave up a late second period goal to Jim O’Brien, and the Senators tied it early in the third period thanks to Milan Michalek.

A member of the Capitals for nearly 10 years earlier in his career, Sergei Gonchar scored the winner on the power play with less than three minutes remaining.

“It’s a tough one because when you play a really good hockey game you obviously want the win. When you have a 2-0 lead that should be enough in this league,” Capitals head coach Adam Oates told Katie Carrera of the Washington Post.

The Senators played without Jason Spezza, who is dealing with an “upper body injury.”