Alex Ovechkin is just six goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky for the NHL’s all-time goals record. He has 10 games remaining in the 2024-25 campaign to achieve the feat this season, and his first test in the final stretch comes against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday afternoon.
Ovechkin has tormented the Sabres throughout his career, and Buffalo’s head coach Lindy Ruff is well aware of that as he’s coached the Sabres for nine seasons since Ovechkin’s debut. While Ovechkin scoring all six goals he needs in one game against the Sabres is extremely unlikely, Ruff has seen enough from the legendary winger to know you can never say never.
“I wouldn’t count him out,” Ruff joked pregame. “I just think [he’s had an] incredible year. I think the chemistry around the line he’s playing for, the way they’re playing, has been so good. I think his game this year is better than last year, like his overall game. We have to be well aware.”
Ovechkin has never scored five goals in one game, let alone six. His single-game career-best is four goals, which he has achieved four times. A six-goal game has occurred only eight times in the history of the NHL and not since Daryl Sittler put six past the Boston Bruins on February 7, 1976.
Ruff’s hesitation to say Ovechkin can’t do something does make sense, as the Sabres are one of 11 teams that Ovechkin has scored 40 or more goals (41) against during his career. In 66 career games against the Sabres, Ovechkin has recorded 68 points (41g, 27a) and has six career goals against James Reimer, Buffalo’s probable starter in net.
The veteran bench boss identified two areas in Sunday’s game where he’s most concerned that Ovechkin could hurt the Sabres. Buffalo has given up the fifth-most goals in the league this season (255), and Ovechkin did not score against them in a previous matchup this year, so he may be due to find the back of the net.
“I think you’re scared of him on faceoffs when he lines up in behind because it’s one shot, and it could be back of the net because you can’t find coverage quick enough on him,” Ruff said. “Then the power play, if you don’t pay attention to where he’s at, again, it’s one shot that can kill you. We’re well aware of where he’s going to be at, and we’re going to try and do our best job against him.”
The Sabres also lead the NHL in penalty minutes (774), and their penalty kill ranks bottom 10 in the league (76.2 percent). Ovechkin only has one power-play goal in March as the Capitals have struggled as a team while up a man, but the Sabres could represent a perfect mix to get their man-advantage unit back on track.
Puck drop for the contest between the Eastern Conference’s best team against the conference’s worst team is set for 3 pm. The Capitals and Ovechkin are looking to snap a two-game losing streak in their first home game in over a week.
