Alex Ovechkin was mere inches away from potentially scoring the 931st goal of his career in the Washington Capitals‘ 5-4 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, Wednesday.
Set up in the right circle looking for a deflection, Ovechkin waved the shaft of his stick at a Justin Holl point shot that found the back of the net, giving the Capitals a 4-3 lead with 7:31 remaining in the third period.
Replays showed the puck ever-so-slightly changing direction and wobbling more as it went past Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes — but after it passed Ovechkin’s twig.
On the NHL on Prime telecast, former New York Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey was between the benches looking at the replays and began talking to the Capitals captain.
“Alex Ovechkin, sitting next to me, I asked, ‘Did you touch it?’ He said, ‘I don’t think so, but I’m not sure.’ And then he turned around and said, ‘I’ll take it.'”
“And then you told him, he didn’t touch it,” analyst Jody Shelley replied.
“Yeah, I was scared to say that,” Hickey said, garnering laughs. “I told him, ‘I don’t think you touched it.'”
Holl, who was eventually credited with the tally after several minutes, was asked after the game whether it seemed like Ovechkin was taking “a little bit” of credit for the goal.
“Well, he did go through the (fist-bump) line first, so I’m not entirely sure if he thought he touched it,” Holl told Prime after the game. “I don’t really know what happened. But if he wants, he can have it.”
Talking to Capitals media, Holl added, “He’s the greatest goal-scorer of all time, so it would make sense.”
Ovechkin, who has spent his entire career celebrating his teammates’ goals more than his own, has every reason to be a little bit selfish this season, his 22nd and final in the NHL. Off to a slow start by his standards, he’s 10 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record for the most combined regular-season and playoff goals. Gretzky scored 1,016 in his career while Ovechkin now has 1,007.
Most all-time NHL goals: regular season and playoffs combined
| Player | Regular Season | Playoffs | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Gretzky | 894 | 122 | 1,016 |
| Alex Ovechkin | 930 | 77 | 1,007 |
Holl’s tally, though, was historic, but in a different way. The Hershey Bears call-up has now scored in his first two games with the Capitals, becoming the first defenseman in franchise history to do so. It’s the second time in his career he’s done so, scoring consecutively with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018 during his first and second NHL games.
“Oddly enough, it’s not,” Holl said. “I guess when you’re hot you’re hot. It’s good to contribute and good to get the win.”
Holl’s now on pace for a staggering 79 goals this season after going without a point and posting a minute-2 rating in three games with Hershey.
“Guy’s going for the Rocket!” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery joked in the locker room during his post-game victory speech.
