Alex Ovechkin breaks NHL expansion era record for most goals scored by a player versus a single goaltender

Marc-Andre Fleury may have gotten the last laugh on Thursday night, but Alex Ovechkin broke another longstanding NHL record with his goal against the future Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender.

According to NHL PR, the tally was Ovechkin’s 41st career goal against Fleury — both regular season and playoffs — passing Brett Hull (40 vs. Tim Cheveldae) for the most goals by a player versus a single goaltender in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68). Cheveldae retired in 1997, meaning Hull has owned the record for over a quarter century.

Ovechkin has scored 28 times against Fleury in the regular season and added another 13 goals in the playoffs, including three tallies in five games during the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals. Ovechkin and Fleury, a former Pittsburgh Penguins great, have played against each other 66 times (regular season & playoffs) over the last 21 seasons. Thursday’s game may have been the pair’s last as Fleury is retiring at season’s end.

Ovechkin scored the record-breaking goal after wristing a shot from the point 15:08 into the second period of the Washington Capitals’ game against the Minnesota Wild. The tally tied the game 2-2.

The lamp lighter marked Ovechkin’s 871st career goal, putting him 23 behind Wayne Gretzky for a share of the NHL’s all-time goals record.

“I don’t like getting scored on by him, but I love the battle over the years,” Fleury said after the game.

“I feel fortunate I was able to play in his time. He probably owes me a few things for scoring so many goals on me. I helped him out pretty good. I’m glad I got to face him. He’s one of the best and always brings the best out of you. It’s been fun battles with him.”

Ovechkin also became the fifth skater in NHL history to record 20 regular-season goals against 18 different franchises. The only other players to do so are Wayne Gretzky (21), Marcel Dionne (19), Mike Gartner (18), and Luc Robitaille (18).

Somewhat appropriately, Fleury made some history of his own when he stopped Ovechkin in the final round of the shootout.

The game-winning stop extended Fleury’s NHL record of shootout wins to 66 — four more than Henrik Lundqvist, who was named to the IIHF Hall of Fame Friday.

Alex Ovechkin’s 28 regular-season goals on Marc-Andre Fleury