Ovie still a threat

By the lofty standards Alexander Ovechkin established for himself from the very first day he skated in the NHL, his play over the last two seasons has been well below par.

Coming off a season in which he scored career lows in goals (32) and points (85), Ovechkin has just nine goals and 20 points in the Washington Capitals' first 27 games. He currently finds himself on pace for only 27 goals and 61 points. He is not trending well.

Still, you won't find the Toronto Maple Leafs taking him for granted when they visit Washington Friday night. Nope, it will be all hands on deck as usual in the attempt to keep The Great 8 off the score sheet.

You see, the Maple Leafs still view Ovechkin as one of the most intimidating forces in the NHL, no matter what his numbers suggest.

"He's almost more scary now than before because obviously he has all that skill and all those goals are somewhere; they're stashed away just waiting to come out," said Leafs goaltender James Reimer. "He's a heck of a player and he has a ton of skill. He's arguably the best player in the game and the fact that he's struggling a little bit doesn't mean he can't have a big night. You have to respect him. Hopefully we can shut him down."

Even though he hasn't been nearly as dynamic the past two years as he was when he won the rookie of the year award, the Rocket Richard Trophy twice for being the NHL's leading goal-scorer, two Hart Trophies as MVP and the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in points, he gives penalty-killers fits.

The first two forwards over the boards to face him in most instances when the Leafs are shorthanded will be Philippe Dupuis and former Capital David Steckel. Both are keenly aware of the damage Ovechkin can inflict.

"You have to be careful," Dupuis said. "He's always going to shoot the puck and that's what we worked on today; trying to prevent him from shooting too much. He played a good game (Wednesday) and scored a goal so I think he's going to be hot against us. We have to be careful.

Added Steckel: "He's just as good without the puck as he is with the puck. In that regard, especially when you're a man down, you have to know where he is all the time. The weak side guy has to make sure the puck isn't getting to him for the one-timer. Sure he's not scoring as much now, but who's to say he's not going to score on his next shot? That's the type of player he is. He gets numerous chances and just because they aren't going in now doesn't mean they won't go in against us."

The Capitals have been one of the NHL's most underachieving teams this season. It cost likeable coach Bruce Boudreau his job. Boudreau surfaced a few days later in Anaheim after being replaced by Dale Hunter. The move was made to energize the entire team, but obviously getting Ovechkin going is a top priority.

Ovechkin had a goal and seven shots in 18:06 of ice time against the Ottawa Senators Wednesday. He looked more engaged than at other times this season which comes as bad news for the Leafs.

Toronto, meanwhile, hopes he will play like he did the first time the two teams met, Nov. 19, when the Leafs won 7-1. In that game Ovechkin played 19:29 and managed eight shots on goal, but had no points and was minus-3.

"Regardless of where he's at points-wise, I think he's still every bit the player he was," said defenceman John-Michael Liles. "I think he goes through stretches where he doesn't score as much, or maybe he doesn't have the confidence he once had, but I think he's still a tremendous player -- one of the best players in the league -- and he's a dangerous guy every time he's on the ice. He's big, strong and you see it every time he scores - he loves to score goals. It's like pure joy when he scores. He's a guy who can impact a game in a lot of different ways."

Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf sees Ovechkin as more than simply a scoring threat. At 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, Ovechkin is a physical threat, as well.

"When you play against him, you have to be aware of when he is on the ice," Phaneuf said. "The thing about Ovie, and I have played against him for a long time now, is that he will bang you and he competes. It's not an easy night when you are playing against him, but you have to play him hard and you have to be aware. We have had our bumps before. It is always a battle when you are playing against a guy like that who competes with the skill that he has. He is a top guy in the league for a reason. He is very dangerous with the way he shoots the puck."

As for Reimer, who will likely get the start in Washington, the last line of defence said he doesn't prepare any differently to face Ovechkin than he does the other top players in the NHL.

"Across the league there's pretty much great players -- or very good players -- on every team," Reimer said. "You look at Ottawa; they have Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza; in Montreal there's Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri. Pretty much every team has a dangerous player. When you are going against the likes of an Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby -- the super elites -- you try not to change your game too much. Obviously you need to know when they are out there because they can make special plays out of nowhere so you have to be ready for anything."

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy will cover the Toronto Maple Leafs for sportsnet.ca for the 2011/12 season.