With so many regulars out of the lineup, Alex Ovechkin knew he had to be good against the Flyers. And good he was during another nationally-televised, Super Bowl Sunday game. Ovechkin scored twice himself and tallied two beautiful assists.
It was Ovi’s first four-point game since November 30, 2019, when he scored a hat trick against the Detroit Red Wings. Ovechkin has tallied four or more points 29 different times in his career.
Since returning from the NHL’s COVID-19 Unavailability List, Ovechkin has seven points in his last four games (4g, 3a).
After passing Mike Gartner for seventh on the NHL’s all-time goals list Wednesday, Ovi is approaching sixth-place Phil Esposito (717). During a first period powerplay, Ovechkin scored career goal number 710 after taking a slick cross-ice feed from Tom Wilson.
Ovi skated into his office and fired a wrister to the far corner, knocking the puck off Carter Hart’s shoulder and in.
.@ovi8 doing Ovi things. pic.twitter.com/BfRhRyyFRO
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) February 7, 2021
Nasty.
The PPG was Ovi’s 261st of his career, which puts him four man-advantage tallies behind Brett Hull (265) for second in NHL history.
Alex Ovechkin scores on the power play to give the Caps a 1-0 lead with his fourth goal of the season. That marks his 261st career power play goal, four shy of Brett Hull (265) for the second-most power play goals in NHL history.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) February 7, 2021
Ovi also passed Esposito for the sixth-most regular season and playoffs goals combined (779).
Another day, another all-time list that The Great Eight climbs.@ovi8 scored his 779th NHL goal (regular season and playoffs) to pass Phil Esposito (778) for sole possession of the sixth-highest combined total in League history. #NHLStats: https://t.co/blmgZJQLEC pic.twitter.com/y3Xw6nCV5t
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 7, 2021
But Ovi wasn’t done. Not by a long shot.
Five minutes and 25 seconds later, Ovi took the puck down the left wing and undressed Flyers defender Philippe Myers. Ovechkin put the puck through the 24-year-old’s legs — Craig Laughlin would call it a jockstrapper — before finding Tom Wilson with a backhanded cross-crease pass. Wilson one-timed the puck past Hart for his fifth goal of the season. Nicklas Backstrom, who was set up in the crease, was credited with the primary assist for touching the biscuit before it got to Wilson.
.@ovi8 IS PUTTING ON A SHOW! pic.twitter.com/cbtkbKAktf
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) February 7, 2021
Yowie Wowie!
π€©π€©π€©π€©π€©π€©π€©π€© pic.twitter.com/d5UDr0FE6A
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) February 7, 2021
At the Capitals’ bench, the players looked up at the jumbotron and admired their work.
Ovechkin scored career goal number 711 during a shift where he simply would not be denied. After the Flyers tied the game 2-2, Ovechkin scored on his next shift one minute and 39 seconds later to give the Caps back the lead.
Ovechkin had four shot attempts while he was on the ice, including three shots on goal. His third shot, which he rifled from the point, went off the post and in.
The NHL credited Alex Ovechkin with three shots and four shot attempts on his shift where he scored his second goal of the game.
He would not be denied. π pic.twitter.com/qHVR80ycT6
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) February 7, 2021
According to the Capitals PR, the goal gave Ovechkin the 146th career multi-goal game.
Alex Ovechkin gives the Caps a 3-2 lead with his second goal of the game. That marks his 146th career multi-goal game, 62 more multi-goal games than the next-closest player since Ovechkin's rookie season in 2005-06 (Sidney Crosby: 84).
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) February 7, 2021
Ovechkin’s final point, his fourth of the game, was a primary assist on a Nicklas Backstrom goal. After taking a pass from Tom Wilson, Ovechkin – who I’m guessing everyone on the Flyers though would shoot – instead sent a one-touch pass to Nicklas Backstrom near the crease.
The Super Swede finished the play depositing the puck on his backhand.
That was SMOOTH, Nicklas Backstrom (@backstrom19).
πΊπΈ: https://t.co/FaqL9eg5I4 @NHLonNBCSports pic.twitter.com/ANqsTNWDlh
— NHL (@NHL) February 7, 2021
It was Backstrom’s team-leading sixth goal of the season.
an extremely smiley nicklas backstrom pic.twitter.com/vNH9LLocGI
— HockeyKot (@hockeykot) February 7, 2021
Despite Ovi’s gr8ness, the Capitals collapsed and lost 7-4.
Ovi now has five goals and seven assists in eight games this season. At age 35, this was one of the better games of Ovechkin’s career. He now has 18 career points on Super Bowl Sunday.
So now itβs 18 (and hopefully more) @ianoland https://t.co/qHBSziG8UY
— Adam Marcus (@ajmarcus12) February 7, 2021
At some point Ovi’s play should start deteriorating, but, as you know, Russian machine never breaks.
Keith Jones on Alex Ovechkin's four-point day: "He was a machine"
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) February 7, 2021
RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Flyers
Screenshot courtesy of NBC
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