Photo: @Capitals
Washington Capitals’ captain Alex Ovechkin had another milestone-making game in Saturday’s 6-4 win over the New York Islanders. He is now in the Top 10, officially passing Mario Lemieux and tying Steve Yzerman for ninth place on the NHL All-Time Goals List.
Ovechkin scored the first goal of the day, giving the Capitals a 1-0 lead midway in the opening frame. It marked his 32nd goal this season and would tie him with Lemieux (690) on the All-Time Goals List.
🚨 #690 for @ovi8 ! #CapsIsles #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/CCKsZU2jec
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 18, 2020
It’s Ovechkin’s 32nd goal of the season, which ranks third in the NHL (David Pastrnak: 36; Auston Matthews: 34). Ovechkin has scored six goals in his last three games and eight goals in January, which is the second most in the NHL (Nikita Kucherov: 9).
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) January 18, 2020
After tying Lemieux, he would cut the Islanders’ lead by one just minutes into the third period. It would be his 33rd goal of the season.
WELCOME TO THE TOP 10 , @ovi8 #CapsIsles #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/SO3wwuCS2i
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 18, 2020
Alex Ovechkin has cut the Islanders lead to 4-3 with his second goal of the game. That marks three-straight multi-goal games, the first time in his career he’s accomplished this feat.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) January 18,2020
In addition, he officially passed Lemieux for the 10th most goals in NHL history.
Additionally, Ovechkin (691) has passed Mario Lemieux (690) for the 10th most goals in NHL history.
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) January 18, 2020
He was far from over. The Great Eight scored again with an empty-net goal for his 34th goal of the season. He scored his 692nd career goal, which ties him for 9th place with Steve Yzerman.
He also recorded his 26th career hat trick and second straight game with a hat trick. Ovechkin netted a hatty in the 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. It was the third time in his career that Ovechkin recorded hat tricks in consecutive games. Only two other players in NHL history have also done so as many times: Joe Malone (4x) and Wayne Gretzky (3x).
It marks the third time in Ovechkin’s career that he has recorded hat tricks in consecutive games (Oct. 5 and Oct. 7, 2017; Dec. 11 and Dec. 14, 2018).
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) January 18, 2020
With his 26th career hat trick, Ovechkin ties Maurice Richard for the eight most hat tricks in NHL history. Additionally, it marks his 141st career multi-goal game, leaving him three shy of passing Phil Esposito (143) for the fifth-most in NHL history.
In 159 games, Ovechkin is on pace to go from 600 to 700 goals, which would be the fewest games from members of the 700-goal club.
Alex Ovechkin is on pace to go from 600 to 700 goals in only 159 games.
It would mark the fewest games to make that leap for any member of the 700-goal club. It also would be the second-fewest games to get from one 100-goal milestone to another in his career. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/jq2Qxh2FxI
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 18, 2020
Ovechkin has scored more hat tricks (26) than four teams since joining the NHL.
Alex Ovechkin has more hat tricks than four TEAMS since he entered the league.
Hat Tricks Since 2005-06
Alex Ovechkin ……. 26
Avalanche …………… 24
Wild …………………….. 19
Devils ………………….. 19
Golden Knights …. 4(cc: @Capitals) pic.twitter.com/BLYoox8ZVP
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 18, 2020
It was an epic comeback for Capitals, who were down 4-1 at the start of the final frame. With goals from forwards Carl Hagelin, Tom Wilson, and Jakub Vrana, Ovechkin told the media following the game, “We never give up. It doesn’t matter what the score is.”
Ovechkin on the team’s mindset entering the third period down 4-1: “Everybody was kind of pissed off, but it’s the good thing about this group of guys. We never give up. It doesn’t matter what the score is.”
— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) January 18, 2020
By Della Young
Ties Lemieux. Passes Lemieux. Ties Yzerman. 692 career goals and climbing… Quickly. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/1DBAUWEQha
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 18, 2020
Ovi is hard to believe at times. That’s how good he is.
I am going to admit that I turned the game off after the 2nd period. I checked the score an hour later my wife wanted to know why I was cursing. I did the same thing after the empty net goal against the Sharks and they scored 2 in 45 seconds.