Trotz to 'harshly' address Ovechkin's string of minor penalties

Barry Trotz isn't happy about a new dimension recently added to Alex Ovechkin's game.

The Washington Capitals captain was called for his team-leading 11th minor penalty during Monday's overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres, and it's come to the point where the head coach needs to address it head on.

"Unacceptable," Trotz said after the game, per Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic. "He’s our leader, he can’t take those penalties ... I’m going to address it harshly with him (Tuesday)."

Over the past five games, Ovechkin has been called for six minor penalties, and has failed to score a goal, while the team has a 2-2-1 record.

"He’s got to lead by example," Trotz continued. "He’s the captain and right now he’s (got) way too many penalties on his behalf."

For the Capitals to have the best chance of winning, clearly they need Ovechkin scoring on the power play instead of giving the opposition opportunities to do the same.

Ovechkin's career high in penalty minutes is 89, and he's on pace for 75.