Alex Ovechkin is now five goals away from immortality after finding paydirt against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.
Loosely guarded by two different Sabres defenders down low, Ovechkin redirected a Rasmus Sandin shot past goaltender James Reimer to narrow Buffalo’s third-period lead to 6-4.
The goal marked Ovechkin’s 890th of his career.
“He scores!” Joe Beninati said on the call. “He can see the mountaintop from here, we’re at defcon five!”
“Brings chills to me being in the building here today to watch this, Alex Ovechkin on the board,” Craig Laughlin, in his first game back from open-heart surgery, added. “A beautiful deflection right in front of the net and there it is, 890 for the Great Eight… he’s got five to go to get to Gretzky.”
Rasmus Sandin and Trevor van Riemsdyk were awarded assists on the tally that came at 9:11 of the third.
Ovechkin’s now on pace to tie Wayne Gretzky’s goals record on April 12 at Columbus and break it April 15 in New York against the Islanders.
The goal marked Ovi’s seventh career tally against Reimer.
Ovechkin had three points in the game, also notching primary assists on a Jakob Chychrun first-period goal and a Pierre-Luc Dubois power-play tally in the third.
