"All game long Saturday night, Alex Ovechkin flew around the Verizon Center ice during the Washington Capitals' home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Emphasis on all game long.

Since arriving in the District, Ovechkin has driven the Capitals during five-on-five and man-advantage play, using his world-class skills to rejuvenate the entire franchise. He continued Saturday night with two goals in the Capitals' 4-2 win over Chicago, a game the Caps trailed 2-0 less than nine minutes in.

But if the first two games provide any indication, Ovechkin will have to do even more this year.

Two short-handed preseason goals during an experimental run on the penalty kill have turned into a regular assignment.

Ovechkin played four minutes, 18 seconds on the penalty kill against Chicago, taking another step in helping establish himself as the game's ultimate all-around player. The Capitals were 6-for-6 on the penalty kill a night after allowing three power-play goals by Atlanta.

"I feel comfortable," Ovechkin said. "Coach [Bruce Boudreau] trusts me, and I want to help the team win and it's nice when you can play five-on-five, five-on-four and now four-on-five."

Whether Ovechkin getting a regular penalty kill assignment is a good thing remains to be seen.

If Ovechkin is up to the task physically, he'll see his ice time exceed the 23 minutes, 6 seconds he averaged last season, third among all NHL forwards. He can be a potential boon to the Capitals penalty kill, which ranked 23rd in short-handed goals last year (five).

"Last year, per se, we were more satisfied or comfortable with just killing it off," said David Steckel, who centered Ovechkin in man-down situations. "What Alex brings to the table is a little more respect on behalf of their defense because he can create more offense for us."

If Ovechkin can't help the Capitals' penalty kill, which ranked 25th last year, there is no point having the him waste minutes playing in a situation where he can't score goals. "