29 – Number of regular-season games missed by Alex Ovechkin over the course of his 14-year career. In fact, since entering the League back in 2005-06, only four players have missed fewer games than Ovechkin – Patrick Marleau (15), Eric Staal (20), Dustin Brown (28) and Brent Seabrook (28).
Perhaps most impressive considering his physical play and his heavy workload (Ovechkin is the only forward among the top 10 skaters in ice time since his rookie season) is the fact that he has missed just 19 games due to injury. He’s also been suspended for a total of nine games (one of which was team-mandated, because alarm clocks are tricky) and he missed a game early in the 2008-09 season to visit his ailing grandfather in Russia.
Tonight will mark the 30th time the Caps will play without Ovechkin; their record in previous games is 13-14-2.