Ovechkin on pace for 50-goal season at age 32

ARLINGTON, VA. • Watch Alex Ovechkin closely this season and maybe you’ll see what Barry Trotz sees.

“Visually, (he’s) just skating,” the Washington Capitals coach said. “When he’s skating, he’s effective. I just think he’s skating better.”

Goaltender Braden Holtby concurs.

“He’s starting to skate again, which is allowing him to create more unique offence. He’s going out there and trying to create stuff as opposed to waiting for others to create things for him. He’s not just relying on his shot; he’s realizing he has more than just that to give.”

Ovechkin didn’t just start skating like this at age 32, but there’s a noticeable determination now. The result is Ovechkin leading the NHL with 26 goals at the halfway point and on pace for the eighth 50-goal season of his 13-year career.

If he does it, Ovechkin would join Hockey Hall of Famers Johnny Bucyk, Bobby Hull and Phil Esposito and still-active Jaromir Jagr as the only players to score 50 goals in a season at 32 or older.

“I’m not 25 years old or 20 years old who’s trying to reach that kind of milestone,” Ovechkin said, “but if I did it, it would be pretty sick.”

Around the league, there’s a notion it’s just Ovechkin getting back to his old self.

“He’s such a dangerous threat when he touches the puck. He finds the open spots, and he doesn’t need a second to get it off, so his shot’s lethal,” Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. Before Thursday’s games, Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin led the league with 26 goals this season