What was once a lost season for Alex Ovechkin has now become one of the most defining of his career.
After starting the 2023-24 campaign with 8 goals in his first 43 games, the Capitals’ captain now has 18 in his last 24 including 8 goals during his current 5-game goal streak.
His latest goalsplosion came in the third period against the Winnipeg Jets on TJ1K day. The 38-year-old superstar scored twice in the Capitals’ 3-0 shutout victory, pushing the team back into postseason position.
Ovechkin now has 848 career goals and trails record-holder Wayne Gretzky by just 46.
Career goal no. 847
Ovechkin’s first goal of the day came 3:36 into the third period to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead. And it was a strange one.
After a stalemate on a faceoff, Jets center Adam Lowry fell to the ice leaving a hole for both Connor McMichael and Ovechkin to fill. Both players got to the puck at virtually the same time. As Ovechkin tried to handle the puck, McMichael shot the puck at the net, pushing the puck into the net off Ovechkin’s blade.
While McMichael did the work, the puck went in off Ovechkin’s stick, giving him the tally.
“Me and Mikey looked at each other (confused),” Ovechkin said laughing. “I’ll take it! It was a lucky one. It doesn’t matter who, how, it’s important for us right now.”
“The McMichael one is kinda funny,” Carbery said. “Because I didn’t know it until I heard it on the PA and I said ‘Why did they just announce…” because it’s hard to sometimes see that, but I guess his stick was there. I didn’t see the replay.”
The goal was Ovechkin’s 25th of the season.
8️⃣4️⃣7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/8fgsHQISwG
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 24, 2024
Career goal no. 848
Eight minutes and 24 seconds later, Ovechkin scored again and it was unmistakably his. Taking a slick pass from Dylan Strome, Ovechkin scored on a semi-breakaway, deking and beating Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck on his backhand.
Carbery called the finish on the play “phenomenal.”
The goal marked Ovechkin’s 172nd career multi-goal game, bringing him to within 17 of Wayne Gretzky (189) for the most all-time.
He’s now scored five goals on Hellebuyck in his career.
“I mean, I don’t know what else to say,” John Carlson said after the game. “It’s not surprising. It’s obviously great to see at a pivotal time of the year. That’s huge. The captain leading the troops. We’ve kind of fallen in line.”
Per RMNB’s Chris Cerullo, Ovechkin has been on a 60-goal pace over the last 24 games. A reminder: he’s 38.
“Unbelievable,” Carbery said. “He’s made so many big plays for us finishing-wise that we needed since Day 1 of the season. And now he’s delivering in such a big way for him at the point he’s at in his career when it’s the most important games of the year, our season is on the line almost it feels like every night. He just delivered in a big way. He deserves a lot of credit finishing — these are big moments he’s scoring huge goals for our team to keep us in this thing.”
Ovechkin has now scored 25 or more goals in 18 of his 19 NHL seasons, with the shortened 2020-21 campaign (24g in 45 GP) being the only season in which he did not reach the 25-goal mark.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) March 24, 2024
“Let’s get some beers,” TJ Oshie said to perfectly sum up the day.
