Ovechkin notches 890th goal, moving 5 away from Gretzky's all-time NHL record

The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 30, 2025 6:57 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

For Alex Ovechkin, scoring the 890th extremity of his vocation wasn't specified a saccharine moment; successful fact, moving 5 goals distant from breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL grounds didn't substance overmuch to the 39-year-old aft an 8-5 nonaccomplishment astatine the hands of the Buffalo Sabres.

"Right now, we mislaid 3 successful a row," Ovechkin said. "It's a bully happening it happens close present and not successful the playoffs, but we conscionable person to bounce backmost and find a mode to triumph the games."

Ovechkin scored astatine 9:11 of the 3rd period, deflecting Rasmus Sandin's changeable past James Reimer to propulsion Washington wrong two.

Though the Capitals were capable to propulsion wrong 1 and seemed to footwear their crippled into higher cogwheel aft his goal, the 39-year-old said it was Aliaksei Protas' shorthanded tally astatine the commencement of the play that sparked the rally.

WATCH | Ovechkin scores extremity No. 890, present 5 distant from all-time record:

"When you people connected the PK, it springiness you much [life] and you tin spot our seat getting aft the game," Ovechkin said. "We tried to travel back, but unfortunately, we can't."

He is present backmost connected gait to walk Gretzky's people of 894 that agelong seemed unapproachable this spring. He has 37 this play and is connected way to scope 40 for a 14th time, besides the astir successful league history, contempt missing 16 games due to the fact that of a breached near fibula.

Before capping disconnected a three-point nighttime successful the 3rd period, Ovechkin had recovered his crystal clip constricted amid galore antiaircraft portion starts, punishment kills and an unsatisfactory effort from the top-six. He skated conscionable 7:43 minutes done the archetypal 2 periods, the lowest connected the team, and finished the nighttime with 16:22 minutes portion moving to Pierre-Luc Dubois' line.

"We were warring to enactment successful that game, I didn't similar immoderate of our top-six again tonight," manager Spencer Carbery said, adding, "It conscionable hasn't looked great. Their underlying numbers haven't been large the past 2 games from our top-six."

Ovechkin volition proceed his pursuit of Gretzky connected Tuesday erstwhile the Capitals caput northbound to sojourn the Boston Bruins.