Oshie sees increase in scoring following stick change with Capitals

NEW YORK --T.J. Oshie changed his stick two weeks ago and decided he needed to go to the net more and pre-scout goalies less. Then the Washington Capitals right wing ended a 19-game goalless streak, and, just like that, he was back.
Reading that, you're probably thinking, "Sure, if it were only that simple."

The way Oshie describes it, it kind of was.
"Everyone has been asking me, 'What's changed?'" Oshie said. "I don't know. It's just she's going in now. It's feeling good. My linemates (Nicklas Backstrom, Andre Burakovsky) have been doing a good job of getting me the puck when I get to open areas. I imagine there's a little luck involved as well."
Oshie has five goals in seven games since March 15, right around the time he went to a stick with a flex of 87 (his previous stick was 82) and was a centimeter longer than the one he had been using. He made the change because of a scoring drought of two goals in 42 games, including the 19-game streak and one of 13 games.
Oshie's scoring surge is coming at a perfect time for the Capitals (45-24-7), who are first place in the Metropolitan Division entering their home game against the New York Rangers on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV).

Oshie, who has 17 goals this season after scoring an NHL career high 33 last season, scored three goals in back-to-back wins against the New York Islanders on March 15-16. He hadn't scored since Jan. 31.
He had one goal each in wins against the Dallas Stars on March 20 and the Rangers on Monday. Oshie also had a goal taken away in Washington's win against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. It first went to defenseman Jakub Jerabek, but was changed to Oshie. It was then changed back to Jerabek after the game.
The five goals are a result of Oshie either going to the net on the rush or when the Capitals have sustained possession in the offensive zone.
"Just confidence," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "I think he's skating well. He's competing. T.J. has got a terrific set of mitts. He's always dogged on the puck. He keeps plays alive. Those types of things, you're seeing that. Parts of his game have been missing this year through stretches, but right now he looks like T.J. Oshie and he's getting hot at the right time."
Oshie, 31, did what he could to not get too down in the weeks preceding his resurgence.
He didn't bring his work home with him to his wife, Lauren Cosgrove, and their daughters Lyla and Leni.
"When I get home, that's my time to be with my family," Oshie said. "When I go to the rink, it's time for business."
Business wasn't booming, though, making it hard for Oshie to stay even-keeled at the rink.

"It seemed like when those two stretches there, when both got to like 15 games, which is a long time to not score a goal, it felt like it would only take one bad bounce and mentally I would get a little frustrated," Oshie said. "I tried not to show it on the ice, but sometimes it's hard when you go through stretches like that."
Oshie must have done a good job masking his aggravation, because Washington captain Alex Ovechkin said the rest of the Capitals didn't catch on to what in fact was a maddening level of frustration.
"He never shows up in the locker room mad," Ovechkin said. "He's always smiling, always in a good mood. I don't know, if I didn't score in 10 games, how mad I would probably be. I'd probably do something different. But he always sticks to the plan, sticks to his game."
Sort of. Oshie changed the flex in his stick; the higher the flex, the more force it takes to bend the stick.
Ovechkin uses an 80 flex, which is why his stick bends like it's made of rubber when he shoots his powerful one-timer. Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber, who has the hardest shot in the NHL, uses a 122 flex, which players say is like shooting with a crowbar.
"I think for an NHL hockey player, [82 to 87] is a monster difference," Oshie said. "It's just the way you feel the puck, the way it comes off your blade. Everything changes. Length changes. It changes your lie. It changes how low you are to the ice. There's a lot that goes into it. That's why everyone's sticks are so unique and so different from the other guys."
Oshie said his stick still feels stiff, almost uncomfortable, but it's working so he's not about to mess with it again.
"If anything, I just feel a little more free to go in, find a spot, pick it and let her rip. Before, I was really focusing on the pre-scout of the goalie, where you should shoot, where most of the goals go in. Now, I'm just kind of getting back to playing a little more free, a little more natural, and the puck is finding the net."