After 10 games OV has 6 goals and 7 assists. That’s a 49 goal pace.
I like the positive feedback loop that is developing here. The game is not being forced to Ovie; instead, he is actively involved in getting others going, and then, AS A RESULT, opponents have to pay attention to others, and Ovie gets more open looks.
Strome had a good year last year and he looks to be building on that this year. But the real eye-openers are McMichael and Protas. What a difference from their previous work! We have to remember, these guys are just 23. Not everybody can show who they can ultimately be at age 20, like Ovie and Backstrom. The team has some significant issues on defense, especially if the injuries to Chyc and Roy really inhibit them. But at least the offense this year looks as if it might be able to overcome some defensive shortcomings.
At the beginning of the season, when people were wondering if/when Ovie could catch Gretzky, I was a little uncertain about his prospects. My figuring was, Ovie throughout his career has been quite consistent scoring overall, but he has these bursts where he will get, like, 15 goals in 20 games. I thought, if he has one more such streak in him, if he can get 1/3 of the way there in one burst, the rest will take care of itself. He has 4 goals in the last 3 games, so maybe this will be the burst that he needs. Then the only thing that could keep him from the record would be serious, serious injury.
