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.
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