No one can ever trash-talk Alex Ovechkin again about the amount of empty netters he’s scored.
Thursday, with his first goal of three against the Montreal Canadiens, Ovechkin broke the NHL record for the most career goals scored on an NHL goaltender, passing Wayne Gretzky.
On a first period Capitals’ power play, Ovechkin scored on Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault just one minute into regulation, recording the 839th career non-empty-net goal of his career. The tally moved him one ahead of Gretzky, who finished his career with 838.
Ovechkin would later extend his lead by scoring his second goal of the game on goaltender Jakub Dobes with 3:57 remaining in the third period.
NHL all-time leaders in goals on goaltenders
| Player | Games played | Empty net goals | Goals on goaltenders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Ovechkin | 1,512 | 67 | 840 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 1,487 | 56 | 838 |
| Gordie Howe | 1,767 | 12 | 789 |
| Jaromir Jagr | 1,733 | 22 | 744 |
| Brett Hull | 1,269 | 11 | 730 |
| Phil Esposito | 1,282 | 8 | 709 |
| Marcel Dionne | 1,348 | 23 | 708 |
| Mike Gartner | 1,432 | 15 | 693 |
| Steve Yzerman | 1,514 | 22 | 670 |
| Mark Messier | 1,756 | 25 | 669 |
Ovechkin is now the all-time leader in total goals (907), empty-net goals (67), and goals scored on a goaltender (840). Among those 907 goals are 327 on the power play, which is also the most in league history. Additionally, he holds the all-time records for most overtime goals (27) and game-winning goals (139).
The goal that moved Ovechkin past Gretzky on Thursday marked his fourth game in a row finding the back of the net. Per NHLPR, Ovechkin tied Jaromir Jagr (2012-13) and Dean Prentice (1972-73) for the longest goal streak by a player age 40 or older in NHL history.
Ovechkin now has 10 goals in 21 games this season, putting him on pace for 39 goals at the end of the year. The legendary winger has heated up in November, recording 13 points (8g, 5a) in his last nine games.
