Alex Ovechkin’s 886th career goal was another doozy.
With 89 seconds remaining, Ovechkin shoveled a loose puck from center ice into an empty net, sealing the Capitals’ 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday. The Capitals captain, stationed along the side boards, sent a backhand with his ridiculous curve into the middle of the twine. And he did so without looking. The goal was point number 1,600 of his illustrious career.
“I know Carbs said it a couple of weeks ago,” Dylan Strome said, “but he goes to where the puck is gonna be and the right spots and those are huge goals.”
The goal was yet another example of how the impossible becomes possible when the 39-year-old forward takes the ice: from defying age-related regression late in his career to scoring 50 or more goals five different times after many analysts thought Ovechkin’s career was sputtering in 2010-11 (32 goals).
“What I’ve learned with ‘O’ is you never underestimate — or even when he’s off a little bit and it doesn’t look great or his line is struggling or whatever it might be, then it just takes one moment,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said post-game. “Just like the New York game, just like tonight where we were really struggling as a group: not speaking about him specifically, as a group. And we win a hockey game and he’s got another goal, another one down. You just can never underestimate what he’s capable of doing.”
The Capitals’ first line, consisting of Ovechkin, Dylan Strome, and Tom Wilson, was dominated by the Seattle Kraken at five-on-five. With the trio on the ice, the Capitals posted negative differentials in shot attempts (14 to 8, 36.6 CF%), scoring chances (6 to 3, 33.3 SC%), high-danger chances (5 to 0, 0% HDCF%), and goals (1 to 0). Despite the outing not being Ovechkin’s strongest game, he still managed to be dangerous, tying Jared McCann for a game-high in shots (6) and firing a team-high 9 shot attempts.
“Yeah, I mean, obviously we’re playing against really good teams right now and the chances are tightening up,” Strome said. “He’s still getting a couple of looks here and there, but he’s finding ways to score. It’s what he’s done his whole career and especially this year. He’s getting to the right areas. And obviously when the goalie is pulled, we’re all thinking it. I’m sure everyone else is thinking it, too. It’s still a pretty skilled play to go backhand through a guy’s leg or stick and find a way to score that. Nine more.”
Ovechkin now has seven goals in his last nine games since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off break, bringing him to within eight of Wayne Gretzky’s goals record of 894 and nine of solely owning the record.
“We all know what’s happening and how historic it is,” Strome said. “It’s incredible.”
With Ovechkin single-digits away, Capitals defenseman John Carlson was asked what the next stretch of games would be like.
“It’s going to be a movie,” he replied.
What kind?
“Sports documentary.”
Has he ever thought what it would be like to assist on the 895th career goal?
“I think that’s up to him, who he wants in the documentary,” Carlson quipped.
