Alex Ovechkin has climbed to the top of another Washington Capitals all-time leaderboard.
With the primary assist on Cole Hutson‘s overtime game-winning goal against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night, Ovechkin has now tied Nicklas Backstrom for the most assists in Capitals franchise history. The helper was the 762nd of Ovechkin’s legendary career and his fourth this season.
Backstrom finished his Capitals career with 762 assists in 1,105 games. Ovechkin reached that same total in 1,589 games.
Washington Capitals’ all-time assists leaders
| Rank | Player | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| T-1 | Alex Ovechkin | 762 |
| T-1 | Nicklas Backstrom | 762 |
| 3 | John Carlson | 605 |
| 4 | Michal Pivonka | 418 |
| 5 | Evgeny Kuznetsov | 397 |
| 6 | Mike Gartner | 392 |
| 7 | Dale Hunter | 375 |
| 8 | Calle Johansson | 361 |
| 9 | Bengt-Ake Gustafsson | 359 |
| 10 | Peter Bondra | 353 |
The record-tying assist came 1:14 into overtime just as the Capitals saw an abbreviated power play expire.
Hutson did the heavy lifting on the goal, as Ovechkin kicked him the puck a full eight seconds before the rookie defender beat Senators goaltender Samuel Ersson to the far side of the net. The marker was Hutson’s second point of the game after he recorded the primary assist on Pierre-Luc Dubois‘ third-period goal to tie the game.
Alex Ovechkin ties Nicklas Backstrom for most assists in Capitals franchise history
Ovechkin’s 762nd assist comes three years and 16 days after Backstrom recorded the final assist of his career against the New Jersey Devils on October 25, 2023. Backstrom’s apple was the second on a goal scored by Connor McMichael, which ended up being the game-winning marker in a 6-4 win over the Devils.
The high-scoring Swedish centerman would play just two more games with the Capitals before stepping away from the team due to recurring issues with his surgically repaired hip. He sat out the rest of the 2023-24 season and the entirety of the 2024-25 season before returning to hockey with his hometown team, Brynäs IF, in the SHL for the 2025-26 campaign.
Ovechkin now claims the top spot in Capitals franchise history in goals (929), assists (762), points (1,692), games played (1,589), power-play goals (331), game-winning goals (141), overtime goals (27), playoff games played (161), playoff goals (77), and playoff points (147).
According to Capitals PR, the player Ovechkin has assisted most in his career is fittingly Backstrom, with assists on 107 of his longtime centerman’s 271 career goals. No other player comes close, with only three others seeing 40 or more assists from Ovechkin: Alexander Semin (45), Evgeny Kuznetsov (42), and TJ Oshie (40).
With one more assist this season, Ovechkin will become only the seventh player to hold outright leads for an NHL franchise in all-time games played, goals, assists, and points.
