Home / News / Alex Ovechkin scores two empty-net goals against Flyers, now trails Wayne Gretzky by 99

Alex Ovechkin scores two empty-net goals against Flyers, now trails Wayne Gretzky by 99

By Ian Oland

 18 Comments

December 7, 2022 10:16 pm

Alex Ovechkin scored two empty-netters in the third period against the Flyers to inch him closer to some very big history.

Ovi’s two goals helped seal the Capitals’ victory over the Flyers 4-1.

Though there was some drama on the second one.

Career goal no. 794

Ovi’s first empty netter was the 50th of his career. John Carlson picked up a loose puck behind the Capitals net and sent a pass off the glass to Ovechkin waiting at the blue line. Ovi pump-faked Tony DeAngelo along the half wall before sending a shot into the yawning net.

The goal officially brought Ovi to within 100 of Wayne Gretzky’s record mark of 894.

Career goal no. 795

He wasn’t done. One minute and twenty-six seconds later, Ovi started lumbering towards the Flyers zone while the Capitals were trying to clear the puck. Once Evgeny Kuznetsov secured the puck, he sent an indirect pass off the boards to Ovechkin for a breakaway. Ovi then slowly skated the puck to the net and dunked it home.

Ovechkin was then approached by Travis Konecny and the Flyers forward slashed him afterward.

“What was that?” Konecny could be seen mouthing to him. The two players exchanged shoves before being separated.

“A goal is a goal,” Dylan Strome said after the game. “They don’t ask how, they ask how many. And hey, when you look back, hopefully however many he gets, nobody is going to remember how many empty-netters he has. A goal is a goal and we’re happy for him.”

Ovi is now 99 away from 99. He’s five away from the 800-goal milestone and six away from tying second-place Gordie Howe (801).

Another record now within Ovechkin’s grasp is the empty-net goal lead. Wayne Gretzky has the most with 56. Now Ovechkin trails him with 51. The next closest player is Hockey Hall of Famer Marian Hossa who scored 40.

, , ,