Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is on the doorstep NHL immortality. With two goals Friday night, he has tied Wayne Gretzky at 894, the most career goals in the history of the sport.
With 13:47 remaining in the third period, Ovechkin ripped a one-timer into the net on an absolutely gorgeous snipe of a shot. After scoring the goal, Ovechkin pointed up to the press box where Gretzky was sitting. The goal gave the Capitals a 4-3 lead, and Washington would go on to win, 5-3, after rookie forward Ryan Leonard recorded an empty-net goal.
Ovechkin had a chances to break the tie late in the game. He uncorked a pair of shots in the final 90 seconds, but Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight saved both attempts, including snagging a blast with his glove.
Ovechkin finished the night with two goals and he recorded six shots-on-goal. Through the first two periods, Ovechkin had registered three shots on goal, and was clearly itching to put the puck on net down the stretch.
Just 3:52 into the first period, Capitals forward Dylan Strome found himself behind the net when he fed the puck to Ovechkin in front. Ovechkin quickly put a scorching one-timer on net that clanged off of the post before bouncing off of Knight's back and across the goal line.
With Ovechkin's first-period goal, he clinched his 14th 40-goal season of his NHL career. Only Gretzky (12), Mario Lemieux (10), and Marcel Dionne (10) have registered at least 10 40-goal campaigns. Ovechkin currently has 40 goals and 27 assists in 60 games this season.
Ovechkin won't have to wait too long to have an opportunity to take sole possession of the record that he now co-owns. The Capitals will face the Islanders at 12:30 p.m. ET at UBS Arena in New York on Sunday. Should he not score Sunday, he would have five more games with the first being back home to take on the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday night.
Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight stopped a pair of Alex Ovechkin shots in the final 90 seconds. Most recently, Ovechkin tuned up a shot that Knight was able to snag with his glove. Ovechkin is itching to get the hat trick in the final seconds of the third period.
Alex Ovechkin had the puck in all alone against Spencer Knight. When Ovechkin attempted to deke around Knight, Knight was able to slide his pad across to limit the shooting space of Ovechkin. The Capitals star ended up stick-handling the puck wide, and he still sits at 894 career goals. Under four minutes remaining in this game with Washington leading 4-3.
Alex Ovechkin is knocking on the doorstep of NHL history. With 13:47 remaining in the third period, Ovechkin ripped a one-timer into the net on an absolutely gorgeous snipe of a shot. After scoring the goal, Ovechkin pointed up to the press box where Wayne Gretzky was sitting. Ovechkin now has 894 career goals to tie Gretzky's for the all-time goals record. With the Capitals leading 4-3, perhaps the Blackhawks pull Spencer Knight, so Ovechkin can get the record at home.
Blackhawks forward Pat Maroon landed in the penalty box after he tripped Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk. A short time later, Capitals forward Dylan Strome put a shot on net in which Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy ended up sweeping the puck into his own net with Alex Ovechkin sitting nearby. Unfortunately for Ovechkin, he didn't have enough time to react and push the puck across the goal line.
The Blackhawks are attempting to play the role of spoiler on Friday as they currently hold a 3-2 against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals. Washington defenseman Martin Fehervary jammed a rebound goal home off a Connor McMichael shot, but Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev found the back of the net just 10 seconds later to put his team back on top. Meanwhile, Ovechkin was buzzing a bit in the second period and now has three shots-on-goal on the night. He was set up in his office in the face-off circle quite frequently in the second period. I'd expect to see more of the same over the final 20 minutes.
Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar was penalized for slashing against Capitals defenseman Matt Roy. As a result, the Capitals found themselves on the power-play, which meant that Ovechkin made his way onto the ice. Ovechkin did let go of a snap shot from the face-off circle that was turned aside by goaltender Spencer Knight.
Alex Ovechkin turns in a fairly lengthy shift his last time on the ice. Ovechkin did have a chance to shoot at one point in the offensive zone, but attempted to set up defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk as he cut towards the net. The chance comes and goes with the crowd groaning. Much like Nicklas Backstrom told Ovechkin when they met up before Friday's game, Ovechkin just needs to shoot the puck whenever it lands on his stick. He's still got just one shot on goal at this point.
Just 10 seconds after defenseman Martin Fehervary jammed home a rebound goal for the Capitals, the Blackhawks regained the lead on a goal from forward Philipp Kurashev. In a game where all of the attention is on Alex Ovechkin and his pursuit of the all-time goals record, several players appear to want to get in on the action. Midway through the second period, Chicago leads 3-2.
The Blackhawks take the lead just 31 seconds into the second period. Forward Frank Nazar, a Blackhawks first-round pick in 2022, found the back of the net when he sent a chopping shot past Caps goaltender Charlie Lindgren. Chicago now has scored a pair of goals since Alex Ovechkin's tally early in the opening period. Perhaps seeing the Capitals trailing motivates Ovechkin to try even harder to put the puck in the net?
Alex Ovechkin certainly didn't waste any time scoring his 893rd career goal. The Capitals star found the back of the net just 3:52 into the game when he ripped a one-timer that bounced off of the post and the back of Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight. In the opening period, Ovechkin converted his lone shot in the frame. Ovechkin logged six shifts totaling 5:03. Blackhawks forward Tyler Bertuzzi tied the game at 1 off of an assist from Landon Slaggert at the 13:55 mark.
With Alex Ovechkin within earshot of Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record, Gretzky is in attendance for Friday's game at Capital One Arena in the nation's capital. "The Great One" is taking in the Blackhawks/Capitals matchup along with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Ovechkin and Gretzky even had dinner together in recent days. Gretzky is planning to attend every Capitals game until Ovechkin takes the top spot.
With his first-period goal, Alex Ovechkin extended his goal streak to four consecutive games for the third time this season. It also marked the 35th time in his professional career that he achieved that feat and passed Mario Lemieux for the most such performances in league history. In addition, Ovechkin became the first player in NHL history to have three 40-goal seasons at the age of 35 or older.
