Alex Ovechkin helped the Washington Capitals secure a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, scoring his 888th career goal.
The tally put him within reach of record-holder Wayne Gretzky, who finished his career with 894. Ovechkin has 13 more games this season to break the record.
Ovechkin was the first to score during the game after a blocked shot by the Flyers resulted in Aliaksei Protas finding the loose puck and passing it to Ovechkin, who fired it in with a shot that deflected off goalie Samuel Ersson’s right pad.
Brandon Duhaime scored the second goal during the second period, his eighth of the season, and Andrew Mangiapane scored the final point for the Capitals at 11:06. Ovechkin was quick to point out that winning the game wasn’t all about scoring and that Charlie Lindgren’s 27 saves as goalie were critical.
The victory secured their playoff spot and made them the first team in the NHL to score 100 standing points this season.
“Our goal was to make the playoffs this year,” Ovechkin said. “It’s hard. Every game, it’s hard, especially at the end because every team is fighting. That’s why in the beginning of the year and the middle of the year, it’s very important to [be] collecting the points and feel comfortable at the end. Last year, it took us 82 games to clinch it, and since 20 games left last year, it was playoffs for us already. We take it and move on.”
Ovechkin has been the face of the Capitals for nearly two decades, and his prolific scoring in pursuit of the Gretzky record has been a topic of discussion among many hockey fans for years.
With the record about to be broken, every game acts as a countdown as anticipation builds. Will the next one be the night he makes history?
