Alex Ovechkin missed Saturday’s Capitals-Blue Jackets game to rest. He returned on Sunday and scored on his first shift.
Seventy seconds into the game, Ovechkin took a great backhanded set-up feed by Dylan Strome and fired a one timer from the slot past Jet Greaves.
The goal was Ovechkin’s 896th of his career and marked his first since breaking the NHL goals record on Sunday, April 6 against the New York Islanders.
The goal was made possible by a hard-charging Anthony Beauvilier, who forced a turnover by Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov.
“I just saw him last second kind of pop out to the middle,” Strome said to Monumental Sports Network’s Al Koken. “He knows how to get open. You can see the curve on his stick allows him to pull it far side. You gotta put it into the right area and he can take care of the rest.”
The goal on Greaves came after the netminder shut out the Capitals on Saturday 7-0. It also made Greaves the 184th different goaltender Ovechkin has scored on in his career — another record Ovi extended on the play. Greaves is the ninth new goaltender just this season Ovechkin has scored on.
The tally was also Ovechkin’s 566th career even-strength goal, tying Gordie Howe for second on the NHL’s all-time list. Wayne Gretzky leads with 617.
Per Capitals PR, the Strome assist was his 22nd on an Ovechkin goal this season. The centerman has assisted on 48 of Ovechkin’s 116 goals since joining the team in 2022-23.
