Alex Ovechkin scored his 886th career goal into an empty net on Sunday, moving him nine goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record. Ovechkin backhanded the puck from center ice with 1:29 remaining in the third period, securing the Washington Capitals’ 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken and extending their winning streak to four games.
“It’s what he’s done his whole career, and especially this year. He’s getting to the right areas,” said linemate Dylan Strome. “When the goalie is pulled, we’re all thinking it, and I’m sure everyone else is too. It’s still a skilled play to go backhand through a guy’s leg or stick and find a way to score. Nine more to go.”
This was Ovechkin’s eighth empty-net goal of the season, bringing his career total to 65, the most by any player in NHL history.
Fans erupted in chants of “Ovi! Ovi!” as the goal counter at Capital One Arena, featuring red, white, and blue lights, switched from 885 to 886, marking a historic moment.
“We all know how significant this is,” said Dylan Strome. “It’s incredible. We definitely want to get him on the ice. He’s so good at finding ways to get open. Like Carbs mentioned a couple of weeks ago, he’s always in the right places, where the puck is going to be, and those are huge goals.”
At 39 years old, Ovechkin scored his 33rd goal of the season, marking his 1,600th career point. He becomes the 11th player in NHL history to reach this milestone and the second active player, following Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.
Coach Spencer Carbery reflected on Ovechkin’s ability to surprise: “What I’ve learned with ‘O’ is you never underestimate him. Even when things aren’t going great, whether it’s him or his line struggling, it just takes one moment. We win a game, and he’s got another goal. You can never underestimate what he’s capable of doing.”
Ovechkin is on track to surpass Wayne Gretzky’s long-held record of 894 goals before the end of this season, a mark that once seemed out of reach.
Kraken coach Dan Bylsma, who faced Ovechkin often during his time with Pittsburgh, acknowledged the achievement, saying, “At one point, we all thought it was an unreachable mark. It was in the category of ‘That’s never going to be reached.’ But Ovechkin has been scoring 50 goals a season for so long now. The number is what it is, but what Alex has done means he’s going to be the greatest goal scorer of all time. He shows no signs of stopping, so it’s only a matter of time before he officially takes that title.”
John Carlson, Ovechkin’s longtime teammate, who assisted Connor McMichael on a key goal late in the game, said the final stretch of Ovechkin’s pursuit will be “a movie,” adding that it could even be a documentary. When asked about assisting on goal No. 895, Carlson joked, “I think that’s up to him, who he wants in the documentary.”