The Washington Capitals lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 on Thursday, falling out of a playoff spot with seven games remaining on their schedule.
While the game was a bummer overall, there was one bright spot. Alex Ovechkin scored the Capitals’ only goal in the third period — career goal number 849 — bringing him to within 45 of Wayne Gretzky for a share of the NHL’s all-time goals record.
Ovechkin scored at the tail end of a long 5-on-3 and short 5-on-4 power play, taking a cross-crease pass from Sonny Milano and beating Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. Milano and Hendrix Lapierre earned the assists. The goal marked Ovechkin’s 1,545th point of his career.
Ovechkin now has 27 goals on the season and is quickly closing in on the 18th 30-goal season of his career.
The tally marked Ovechkin’s second career goal on Nedeljkovic, the 172nd different goaltender he’s ever scored on.
According to Capitals PR, Ovechkin’s 19 goals since January 27 are tied for the fourth-most in the NHL.
Tonight’s Caps-Pens matchup marked the 69th game Ovechkin has played against Sidney Crosby. Ovechkin now has 67 points in those 69 games. Crosby was held scoreless on the night.
| Player | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney Crosby | 69 | 31 | 59 | 90 |
| Alex Ovechkin | 69 | 37 | 30 | 67 |
Ovechkin would now just need to average 23 goals per season in his final two years to pass Gretzky.
