Alex Ovechkin left Penguins fans with a parting gift in what could be his final NHL game in Pittsburgh.
Ovechkin tallied his 32nd goal of the season, the 929th of his career, on Saturday afternoon, scoring on an empty net in the Washington Capitals’ 6-3 victory.
Alex Ovechkin’s 929th career NHL goal
After Pittsburgh Penguins’ head coach Dan Muse pulled goaltender Arturs Silovs late in the third period, Tom Wilson intercepted a pass from Pens winger Egor Chinakhov at the center line and sent it to Ovechkin. The two Capitals players then played a brief game of hockey hot potato with the puck — Ovechkin returned the pass to Wilson, but Wilson insisted Ovechkin take the shot — before the 40-year-old sniper sent the puck into the empty net.
The late-game tally extended Ovechkin’s empty-net goals record to 72, sixteen above second-place Wayne Gretzky (56).
He now has 44 career goals against the Penguins, including 27 at PPG Paints Arena, the most among active players and tied for the fourth most all-time. He has 79 points (44g, 35a) in 82 career games against Pittsburgh.
With Ovechkin waiting until the offseason to decide whether he’ll return for another season, Saturday could be the final time he makes the trip to visit his biggest rivals. Penguins fans honored his career with a tribute video and standing ovation earlier in the game, and Ovechkin was later named First Star of the Game.
