As we noted in our last WCOFH dispatch, Alex Ovechkin is back on his fast offensive track. During Washington’s five-game winning streak, he scored 10 points (three goals, seven assists) and posted a plus-11 rating.

That pushed his point total to 15 in 14 games. Throw in his plus-14 rating and you can see he is headed in the right direction – in a hurry.

Here are some other NHL forwards still trying to wake up:

Vincent Lecavalier, C, Lightning: At the end of his doomed regime, Tampa Bay coach Barry Melrose juggled his lines and separated Vinny from Martin St. Louis. What will interim coach Rick Tocchet do? Lecavalier had 11 points in 16 games after scoring 210 points his previous two seasons. He is coming back from a shoulder injury, but still . . .

Ilya Kovalchuk, W, Thrashers: In his first 11 games this season, he scored just three goals and added three assists. Kovalchuk has picked it up since then, but his 14 points in 16 games overall doesn’t put him on the first page of NHL scoring leaders. Oddly, Atlanta mounted a rare winning streak despite his offensive struggle.

Shawn Horcoff, C, Oilers: His 50 points in 53 games last season created favorable projections for this season. Alas, expectations are not being met. He has four goals and three assists in 16 games. He has scored three even-strength goals all season. Yeech.

Sergei Samsonov, W, Hurricanes. Fantasy GMs wondered if his revival last season – 32 points in 38 games with Carolina – was a mirage. After all, Samsonov had been maddeningly unproductive in recent seasons. Such skepticism was warranted, since Sergei has zero goals, three assists and a minus-10 rating in 17 games this season. Wow. A winger playing a regular shift should accumulate more points than that by accident.

Michael Ryder, W, Bruins: Boston hoped he would regain his old 30-goal form this season with a change of scenery. That hasn’t happened yet; in 16 games, Ryder has scored just twice.

"You look at Michael Ryder still stuck on two goals, against every team he's getting close chances, but they're not going in right now," Bruins coach Claude Julien told the Boston Globe. "I don't think I can complain about his work ethic, because he's in there, he's grinding it out, he's doing a lot of good things."

Rick Nash, W, Blue Jackets: Coming off a 38-goal season, he was looking for more as Columbus fortified its offense. Instead, he did less – going 10 games without scoring a goal. On the plus side, he did score seven points during a recent seven-game span. Coach Ken Hitchcock keeps moving him around – even using him at center for long stretches.

Anze Kopitar, C, Kings: After pumping in 32 goals last season, he has scored just two goals in his first 15 games this season. He has been held pointless in four of his last seven games. Coach Terry Murray has seen improvement after cutting Kopitar’s workload to the 18- to 19-minute range.

"The bottom line is, he's a stronger player with the puck, and also on the defensive side of things I've seen a better hockey player," Murray told the Los Angeles Times. "His reads are sharper. He's executing with the proper positioning in our D-zone and he's very responsible."

Derek Roy, C, Sabres: Last season he broke out with 81 points in 78 games. Given Buffalo’s offensive depth, he appeared to be a lock for point-per-game production this season. That hasn’t happened. In 16 games, Roy has just two goals and seven assists.

Marek Svatos, W, Avalanche. He scored 26 goals in 62 games last season, so he seemed positioned for big things this season. Instead, he scored just twice in Colorado’s first 16 games.

Andrei Kostitsyn. W, Canadiens: After scoring 26 goals in 78 games last year in Montreal’s go-go offense, he has scored just once in 12 games this season.