WASHINGTON, DC — If Alex Ovechkin is truly nearing the end of his career, he’s going out with a bang.
Three days after his hat trick against the Utah Mammoth, Ovechkin tallied a pair of goals on Tuesday in a 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, putting on a show for the home crowd in what could be his third-to-last game in the District. From the look on his face, you’d hardly have known they were the 927th and 928th goals of his career.
Ovechkin now has seven goals in his last seven games, leading the Capitals with 31 on the season. Just four players 40 or older have ever scored five goals in a three-game span; Ovechkin has now done so twice this season.
“It’s incredible,” remarked Tom Wilson.
Ovechkin’s first goal of the night came with just under 90 seconds left in the first period. Matt Roy drew Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar to the left post before backhanding the puck to Ovechkin, who tapped it into the wide-open net.
Early in the third period, Ovechkin struck again from nearly the same spot, this time receiving the puck from Connor McMichael and diving for the shot. He started celebrating the goal while still sprawled out, back covered in ice from his tumble.
Ovechkin now has twenty 30-goal seasons in his career, three more than Mike Gartner for the NHL record.
“Obviously, it’s a big number,” Ovechkin said postgame.
His teammates were less modest about the achievement.
“It’s mind-blowing…At his age, what he’s doing, it’s insane,” said Ryan Leonard, who was just eight months old when Ovechkin made his Capitals debut.
“I’m still chasing my first (30-goal season),” added Pierre-Luc Dubois. “I’ll have to play until I’m, like, 50 to beat that. It seems like every game he’s beating a record. He’s the model of consistency in goal scoring.
“You don’t get to 1,000-something goals by having down years, but it’s still impressive to see them every day at practice, in the dressing room, and on the ice out there.”
Ovechkin’s recent success has only spurred on his teammates as they fight a long-shot battle to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Capitals have gone 5-1-1 in their last seven games and now sit just three points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
“As a teammate, you’re inspired,” said Wilson. “I mean, everybody in here sees what he’s doing. It drags everybody into the fight. He leads in so many different ways.
“I mean, I’ve said pretty much everything I can about the guy — but I think everyone in here, when it comes down to him, it’s bigger than the individual and the team. It’s so fun to watch him lead and go out there and hit and score. One way to bring everybody into the fight is to have a (40-year-old) captain that’s running over guys and scoring goals.”
Now in his 21st season with the Capitals, Ovechkin has shown he’s not fully immune to the effects of Father Time. His speed and skating have been a major limiting factor; he’s struggled on the power play, and he’s shifted towards the sort of messier netfront goals he scored on Tuesday above the skilled sniper shots he dished out earlier in his career.
But at his best, on nights like Tuesday, Ovechkin still dazzles in a way no one else can. After more than two decades in the league, he reaches heights few others can match, captivating generations of DC sports fans as one of the best to ever lace up a pair of skates.
Ovechkin has remained consistently noncommittal about his plans beyond this season, with little desire for a grand farewell tour. He may well return for another year, giving DC fans 82 more games of an era that’s defined the Capitals’ history. If this is the end, however, Ovechkin showed on Tuesday what’s made those 21 seasons so special.
