Capitals' Alex Ovechkin: Tickles twine on power play

Ovechkin scored his 18th goal of the season, fifth on the man advantage, in Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss to Minnesota.

Ovechkin scored his third goal in four games since returning from a fractured fibula Dec. 28. The right-shot sniper's marker Thursday was his 871st of his NHL career -- Ovi is now just 24 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time record. The Capitals have 44 games remaining in 2024-25, and considering Ovechkin's ability to score in bunches, it wouldn't be surprising to see the 39-year-old score a record-setting 895th career goal this season. Even after missing 16 games, the three-time Hart Trophy winner leads the Capitals with 18 goals, and he's added 10 helpers and a plus-14 rating through 22 appearances.