'Rocket' Richard Trophy winner may finish with lowest total since 2004
Alex Ovechkin has been the NHL's top goal scorer four years running.
The Russian superstar has racked up 27 tallies this season, and while he likely isn't in contention for a fifth straight title, the player who captures this year's honors could do so without cracking the 50-goal plateau:
| Player | Games | Goals | On Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney Crosby | 58 | 34 | 45 |
| Patrik Laine | 59 | 32 | 40 |
| Max Pacioretty | 67 | 31 | 38 |
| Auston Matthews | 65 | 31 | 39 |
| Brad Marchand | 66 | 30 | 37 |
| Jeff Carter | 65 | 30 | 38 |
| Cam Atkinson | 65 | 30 | 38 |
In the 11 full seasons that have followed the 2004-05 lockout, the top scorer has always reached 50 goals. Ovechkin won the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2012-13, a lockout-shortened campaign in which he finished with 32 goals in 48 games. Prorate those numbers to a full season and he ends up with 55 markers, while runner-up Steven Stamkos' 29 goals become 50.
This season, only Sidney Crosby and Winnipeg Jets rookie Patrik Laine are projected to finish north of 40 goals.
The last full-season finish to claim the goal-scoring title with similar totals was Jarome Iginla, who did so with the Calgary Flames in 2003-04, scoring 41 goals in the final year before the lost season.
Interestingly enough, at 5.45 goals per game, NHL squads are finding the net at a higher pace than the past five seasons, but are seemingly doing so with a more balanced attack.
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