Ovechkin reaches 30-goal mark for NHL-record-extending 19th time

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Hockey

Alex Ovechkin has reached 30 goals successful a play for the 19th clip successful his 20-year NHL career, adding to the league grounds helium acceptable past play with his 18th.

With 883 goals, Capitals' prima guardant 12 shy of breaking Gretzky mark

Stephen Whyno · The Associated Press

· Posted: Feb 26, 2025 11:16 AM EST | Last Updated: February 26

Washington Capitals guardant  Alex Ovechkin shoots the puck during a powerfulness  play   against the visiting Calgary Flames during the 2nd  play  astatine  Capital One Arena connected  February 25, 2025 successful  DC.

In Tuesday's 3-1 nonaccomplishment to the Flames, Capitals guardant Alex Ovechkin joined Teemu Selanne, Johnny Bucyk and Gordie Howe arsenic the lone players successful hockey past to people 30-plus goals successful a play astatine property 39 oregon older. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Alex Ovechkin has reached 30 goals successful a play for the 19th clip successful his 20-year NHL career, adding to the league grounds helium acceptable past play with his 18th.

The Washington Capitals skipper got his latest milestone extremity Tuesday nighttime astatine location successful a 3-1 nonaccomplishment to the Calgary Flames. He bushed Dan Vladar with a one-timer connected the powerfulness play 4:52 into the 3rd period, sending the assemblage into chants of "Ovi! Ovi!"

Ovechkin joined Teemu Selanne, Johnny Bucyk and Gordie Howe (who did it 3 times) arsenic the lone players successful hockey past to people 30-plus goals successful a play astatine property 39 oregon older.

Scoring his 883rd vocation extremity and 4th successful the past 2 games puts Ovechkin 12 backmost of breaking Wayne Gretzky's people of 894 that had agelong seemed unapproachable. Adding this to his chapeau instrumentality Sunday against Edmonton, Ovechkin is present connected gait to walk Gretzky successful aboriginal April agelong earlier the regular play is over.

The apical squad successful the Eastern Conference mislaid successful regularisation successful Washington for the archetypal clip since Nov. 23, ending a 16-game location constituent streak.

Ovechkin entered the play 42 abbreviated of breaking the regular-season grounds by "The Great One."

The 39-year-old Russian was connected gait to get to 895 successful February earlier breaking his near leg successful a shin-on-shin collision successful November. He missed 16 games but resumed his pursuit astatine Toronto successful the Capitals' archetypal crippled retired of the Christmas break.

Ovechkin already owns the NHL records for power-play goals and shots connected goal.

He besides has 135 game-winning goals, tied for the astir with Jaromir Jagr. Ovechkin has scored connected 181 goaltenders and counting, breaking Jagr's grounds by beating Leevi Merilainen of the Senators with No. 874. Ovechkin has 178 multi-goal games, 2nd to Gretzky (189).

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Ovechkin earlier this play became the 60th subordinate to grounds 700 vocation assists. He joined Gretzky, Howe, Jagr, Marcel Dionne and Phil Esposito arsenic the lone players with 700 goals and 700 assists.

Gretzky has held the grounds since scoring his 802nd extremity connected March 23, 1994, to walk Howe. He added 92 much earlier retiring successful 1999 aft a full of 1,487 games implicit 20 seasons.

Gretzky holds 55 NHL records and adjacent if his goals people falls to Ovechkin, which helium has said helium is excited about, 2 look genuinely untouchable: 2,857 full points and 1,963 assists, which is much than anyone other has successful goals and assists combined.

If adding playoff goals, which bash not number toward the record, Gretzky has the astir of those, arsenic well, with 122. Ovechkin has 72. Gretzky besides had different 56 successful the World Hockey Association regular play and playoffs, portion Ovechkin has 57 from his clip successful the Russia-based KHL.

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