This article is over 6 years old

With 4-point night, Nicklas Backstrom hits 900 career points

by

8 Comments

Share:

During a milestone game he shared with Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom authored an individual accomplishment of his own and for once, overshadowed his Russian sidekick.

The Swedish center, in his 900th career game with Ovechkin, tallied his 900th career point after putting up four points (2g, 2a) against the lowly but scrappy New Jersey Devils. Backstrom was the number one star of the night.

“It great actually,” Backstrom said after the game. “I wasn’t expecting that but sometimes it happens. It’s fun being a part of this organization for this long. For playing with such a great player like Alex, it’s very fortunate on my side. You need to enjoy every moment.”

Backstrom is now the second Capitals player and seventh Swedish player ever to hit the 900-point plateau.

Point 1 (Assist)

Backstrom’s first point of the night came on a primary assist on an Alex Ovechkin goal. It tied the game 1-1. After gaining entry into the zone, Backstrom slid a pass to Ovechkin and then screened the goaltender. Ovi fired the shot through his legs.

Point 2 (Goal)

Backstrom’s second point came 70 seconds later. The 32-year-old Swede deflected a John Carlson point shot past MacKenzie Blackwood into the back of the twine.

Point 3 (Goal)

Backstrom dented the twine again in the third period. After skating the puck out of the corner, Nicky dished the biscuit to Dmitry Orlov who was making his way towards the slot. Orlov faked a shot and then sent a pass back to Backstrom who redirected the puck past Blackwood again. It was a perfect give-and-go.

Point 4 (Assist)

Finally, in the third period, Backstrom picked up a turnover by the Devils and threw a perfect pass to Michal Kempny on the wing while the two teams were playing four-on-four hockey. Kempny sent a centering pass to John Carlson who knocked the puck out of the air and into the back of the net. Backstrom’s 900th career point was a secondary assist.

Tribute video

After Backstrom netted number nine hundred, the Capitals posted a tribute video on social media which they will likely play during tomorrow night’s game at Capital One Arena.

He took a photo with the milestone puck with Michal Kempny and John Carlson, the players who figured into his milestone point.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from them other than a performance like that from [Ovechkin and Backstrom],” head coach Todd Reirden said. “Obviously, Nick 900 points, four-point game, he was outstanding.”

The game marked Backstrom’s 23rd ever four-point game and his first since December 11, 2018 during the Capitals’ 6-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings. The game also marked Backstrom’s fourth four-point game ever against the Devils.

Now some dap.

“I think Nick is really underrated,” John Carlson said. “He’s done a lot for this franchise over the years and his game is one of the best in the league.”

Congratulations, Nicky! Here’s to many, many more.

Full RMNB Coverage of Caps at Devils

Headline photo: @Capitals

Related Articles

RMNB is not associated with the Washington Capitals; Monumental Sports, the NHLPA, the NHL, or its properties. Not even a little bit.

All original content on russianmachineneverbreaks.com is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International – unless otherwise stated or superseded by another license. You are free to share, copy, and remix this content so long as it is attributed, done for noncommercial purposes, and done so under a license similar to this one.

zamboni logo