The Washington Capitals have been red-hot offensively to start the 2024-25 NHL season. Washington’s 4.18 goals-per-game rate ranks third in the league, and a lot of that success is driven by the club’s veteran forwards, Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome.
Over the past week (Oct. 28 – Nov. 3), no other duo in the NHL has been more productive than Ovechkin and Strome. The first-line talents combined for 17 points (6g, 11a) in four games against the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Carolina Hurricanes.
The NHL recognized their joint hot streaks, naming the line-mates this week’s “Dynamic Duo.” The online award was sponsored by MassMutual.
Through 11 games during the 2024-25 season, the Capitals have dominated their opposition at five-on-five with Strome and Ovechkin on the ice, seeing 52.5 percent of the shot attempts, 57.7 percent of the expected goals, 54.8 percent of the scoring chances, and 62.7 percent of the high-danger chances.
Including Aliaksei Protas, the Capitals have outscored teams 13-3 with the line over the boards. For Ovechkin, that newfound domination has sparked a start to a season that many thought was impossible around this time last year with the legendary goal scorer notching only seven goals through December.
The electric connection between Strome and Ovechkin makes Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record vulnerable of falling this season. Ovechkin’s seven goals through 11 games have him on pace for a 52-goal year, which would not only see him smash Gretzky’s total by March but blow by it, becoming the first player ever to score 900 career goals.
Strome’s current scoring pace also sets him up for a career year. The 27-year-old center has 17 points (4g, 13a) through 11 games, which is good for 1.55 points per game. He is on pace for 126 points, and even if he likely cools down, he could become one of just five skaters in franchise history to record a 100-point campaign. His previous single-season, career-high in scoring, set last year, is just 67 points, and he is already over a quarter of the way to that mark.
Strome and Ovechkin’s “Dynamic Duo” nod from Mass Mutual comes three years after Ovechkin starred in a commercial for the life insurance company with Nicklas Backstrom. “We are duo,” Ovechkin said in the wildly popular clip.
