“He is very dynamic,” said Justin Williams, Ovechkin’s new teammate with the Washington Capitals and a 15-year veteran of the NHL. “Ovi’s biggest asset is his ability to score from anywhere — so people have to respect that. When he gets over the blue line he has the potential to score, so they have to honor his shot. And when they honor his shot, he has the ability to drive it wide or make a move and get by the defenseman.”

“Everyone has seen him score goals on the power play, from his spot,” Williams continued. “They have seen him score goals coming over the blue line shooting through a screen. And they have seen him score goals beating the defender and going at the goalie alone. The amount of respect he deserves for every talent he has makes him make the chances he gets.”

Ovechkin has been scoring goals since he entered the league as a 20-year-old Russian phenom in 2005. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie after a 52-goal campaign and has scored at least 50 goals in six seasons, including 65 in his third year. Only Hall of Famers Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky have more 50-goal campaigns. But Ovechkin’s shot output might be even more impressive: Goalies have faced 4,014 shots from Ovechkin — 1,213 more than those from Eric Staal, who has the second-highest total from 2005-06 until now. That’s approximately the difference between Staal and No. 67 on the active player list, Johnathan Toews.

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This season Ovechkin is averaging 5.1 shots per game, placing him alongside Phil Esposito, Bobby Hull and Ray Bourque as the only players to average five or more shots per contest after turning 30 years old.

However, Ovechkin isn’t some dainty finesse player.

“He doesn’t play an easy game,” Williams said. “Ovi plays a hard game. He hits. He battles in the corners. The fact he has been doing what he has done for such a long time for me, as an older player, is impressive.”

Since 2005-06, there have been 11 instances where a player has been credited with 200 or more hits in a season in which he also scored 30 or more goals. Ovechkin has six of them, so it’s amazing he has only missed a handful of games due to injury. Among the players selected in 2004, Ovechkin leads his draft class in games played.

“He is built like a truck — so strong, so powerful,” said Joe Beninati, Capitals play-by-play announcer since 1994. “When he wants to he will run you over.”

There was a time when the Great Eight wouldn’t get near anyone in the defensive zone, let alone run someone over. He would even be caught coasting, similar to having a disconnected controller during a video game, like on this Derek Stepan goal in 2013.

Not anymore. Coach Barry Trotz has Ovechkin playing defense. And playing it well.

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“I think he is playing closer to a complete game,” Beninati said. “Alex is never going to be confused with the Selke award winners, the top defensive forwards in the league, but since Barry’s arrived he has made a more concerted effort to lead overall as the captain, which means he has to put in the effort to back-check, to be in passing lanes and to block shots. Every night we see him doing something on the defensive end.”

In 2011-12, the Capitals faced 44.5 even-strength shots against per 60 minutes with Ovechkin on the ice. Those same teammates allowed just 38.8 skating away from Ovechkin, an improvement of more than five shots per 60 minutes. Now there is a difference of under one shot per 60 minutes.

Yes, the players on defense have improved under General Manager Brian MacLellan. Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik (when healthy) have been great compliments to Karl Alzner and John Carlson, relegating Nate Schmidt to a third-pair role with Dmitry Orlov. But that doesn’t mean we can discount Ovechkin’s strides on defense. Said one Eastern Conference NHL scout: “You know what Ovechkin is going to do offensively — score on the power play, try and split the defenders, make great passes. [Ovechkin’s] an underrated passer. But now he can be a [expletive] pain in the ass on defense, too. I don’t think a lot of people saw that coming.”

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Now that Ovechkin has started his transformation into a complete player, the Capitals are playing some of their best hockey in franchise history. They lead the Eastern Conference with 58 points and, after adjusting their margin of victory for strength of schedule, are .98 of a point per game better than the average team — the highest adjusted margin in the NHL. For comparison, last year’s Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks were .51 of a point better than average.

“He’s got the ability to change a game and there are not many guys in the league you can say that about,” Williams said of Ovechkin. “There are a lot of great players, but not many who can change the game with a big goal, big hit or big assist. Very few are like that.”