Alex Ovechkin etched his name in the NHL history books Tuesday when he scored his 30th goal of the 2023-24 season. In doing so, the Washington Capitals star tallied an NHL-record 18th 30-goal season as he passed Mike Gartner (17) for the honor.
Ovechkin registered the goal at the 19:52 mark of the second period, and it ultimately was the game-winner in a 2-1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings.
30 for 8 at 38 🤯 pic.twitter.com/A3yQOckh5s
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 10, 2024
"Oshie [made] a tremendous play on the blue line, and I was kind of 2-on-1," Ovechkin said after Tuesday's game. "I knew there was maybe 15 or 20 seconds left in the period, and I tried to shoot the puck and hope it goes in. I'll take it."
Shortly after Ovechkin scored the record-setting goal, the Capitals posted a video of Gartner congratulating the Capitals winger on the tremendous achievement.
From Garts to the #Gr8#ALLCAPS | @LeidosInc pic.twitter.com/NlRuo56LmT
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 10, 2024
It's quite an impressive feat considering Ovechkin had just nine goals over the first 44 games of the season. Since the All-Star break, the Capitals legend has scored 22 goals and is averaging 0.68 goals per contest.
This performance was exceptionally huge considering it snapped Washington's six-game losing streak and put the Capitals back into the No. 2 Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Ovechkin, who turns 39 years old on Sept. 17, is just 42 goals behind Wayne Gretzky for the NHL's all-time goals record. Considering the Capitals star tallied 42 goals in 2022-23, it's certainly possible Ovechkin could break the record during the 2024-25 campaign.
Ovechkin will have at least four more regular-season games to add to his grand total as the Capitals chase a playoff spot.
