It was a busy night on the NHL slate as they prepare for the holiday break that is taking place this weekend. However, on this final night before the few days off, Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals stole all of the headlines once again.
Last week, Ovechkin scored his 18th, 19th, and 20th of the season to reach 800 career goals and have a hat trick that led his team to a win over the Chicago Blackhawks. It was a very memorable moment as he became the third player to ever reach that milestone.
Of course, he only needed one more from there to tie Gordie Howe for second all-time at 801 and two to break his record. No matter when that moment came, it was going to be a great moment in the history of the sport.
On Friday night, Ovechkin scored two against the Winnipeg Jets to do it. He is now second all-time in goal scoring, which is something to be incredibly proud of. He has won a lot in this league and contributed a lot of offense in the form of both goals and assists.
Alex Ovechkin was sensational for the Washington Capitals yet again on Friday.
The first goal opened the scoring for Washington as they took a 1-0 lead. Later on in the game, he collected the secondary assist on Sonny Milano’s fifth of the year, which put them up 2-0. In the final minute of the contest, he scored into the empty net for his second goal and third point.
It was a great thing to see as now he passed Gordie Howe, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest players who ever lived.
Now, Alex Ovechkin only trails Wayne Gretzky, who is known as the greatest hockey player who ever lived. Ovechkin is never going to be considered as good as Wayne because he just wasn’t.
Wayne has more assists than anyone else and has points, but Ovechkin is surely the greatest goal-scorer ever.
There really aren’t any more milestones left for Ovechkin this season, but he needs to keep scoring goals in order to keep the pace to pass Gretzky. He is on pace for 50 goals once again, which would put him at 830. If he ends the season around there, he will only need about 60-ish more to do it.
This was a big step for Ovechkin. Now, only one has lit the lamp more. For now, he can enjoy this win and the fact that the Washington Capitals look like a playoff team once again.
His next chance to score goals will come after the holiday break against the New York Rangers. As he continues to get closer to the record, the more “must-see” he becomes.