Will Alex Ovechkin Score 35 Goals This Year?

It has been bothering Alex Ovechkin that he hasn't been scoring as much this year. So much so, that he is starting to look a lot older. Here is a picture of him last year, and on the right a picture of OV at a New Year's party.

A few days ago, we heard that Ovechkin received a cortisone shot for an injury that’s been nagging him this season. He was also not able to fully practice with the team and was wearing the gold (non contact) jersey for most of last week. This injury has definitely slowed the big guy down. There has also been chatter around the league that coaches and defencemen are playing him different this year, and not letting him get into a good shooting lane or do his famous cut in and shoot using the defencemen as a screen/pylon.

I have also heard some people in the hockey world say that he is saving himself for the playoffs. I think this is pretty stupid and people are just looking for an excuse for his season so far. Yes, he does want to win a Cup and knows he has to be strong and healthy for the playoffs. But this is a guy that loves to score goals and wants to win everytime he steps on the ice.

At the midway point of the season Alex Ovechkin has 15 goals in 43 games. He is still on pace for 375+ shots this season, but his shooting percentage is almost 6 points lower than last year at 7.7%. It is almost certain Ovechkin will not score 50 goals this season for a fourth consecutive year. With this said, the big question remains as to how many goals Alex the Great will actually finish with. 35 goals is a good over/under, so what do you think Dirty Dangle readers? TSN has OV on pace to score 29 goals. Can OV pull it together and net 20 goals before seasons end?