I think on the mental side of the game Ovie is still raw (for a player with his age and experience), that’s more what the Capitals should have been ahead of.. trying to get him thinking a bit more at both ends of the rink.

Its far more plausable that Ovechkins own play, not that of other teams, is what has caused his slump. I mean sure, that cut to the inside and shoot throug the defensemen move doesn’t work that often anymore…. but thats not where most of Ovechkins goals have come from over the years anyway.

Though Ovechkin has actually looked better on the right side over the last couple games when compared to the first four. He hasn’t scored from there yet, but hes created some chances.

Not that Ribeiro isn’t a gifted player but a guy like Alex Ovechkin would have spent the first 15 years of his career scoring more or less at will so learning to give your opponent different looks probably didn’t seem even necessary.

It’s a shame the Caps let it get this far with Ovechkin – you have to think that he would have had an easier time trying to add new elements to his game before his confidence took a beating with a couple of ‘off’ (by his standards) seasons – but I think giving him a coach and a linemate with tons of experience and pretty good vision on the ice is a great idea.