Ovechkin scores 884th career goal to move 10 away from tying Gretzky's NHL record

Stephen Whyno · The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 01, 2025 3:47 PM EST | Last Updated: March 1

Alex Ovechkin scored the 884th extremity of his NHL vocation precocious successful the Washington Capitals' 3-1 nonaccomplishment to the red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning connected Saturday, moving 10 distant from tying Wayne Gretzky's record.

Ovechkin bushed chap Russian Andrei Vasilevskiy with 4 minutes near successful the 3rd period at Capital One Arena after getting stopped doubly by him earlier.

"He's the champion goal-scorer for a reason," Lightning defenceman Ryan McDonagh said. "You springiness him 1 small other abstraction there, helium puts it home."

Ovechkin's 31st extremity of the play is his 12th successful 22 games against Vasilevskiy. He's present connected gait to interruption the grounds successful aboriginal April.

"He's evidently feeling it close present with the mode he's been scoring," Tampa Bay skipper Victor Hedman said. "Vasy did immoderate unreal saves, but he's going to get his chances. He's arguably 1 of the champion goal-scorers of each time, truthful helium gets those chances successful the slot, it's pugnacious to prevention those."

WATCH l Ovechkin's 884th vocation goal:

Despite the 39-year-old scoring, the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals mislaid a 3rd consecutive crippled for the archetypal clip this season.

"Finishing and getting connected the committee was huge, but I inactive deliberation it's going to get better," manager Spencer Carbery said. "O is finishing astatine a existent precocious complaint coming retired of the break. I deliberation his play, chemistry and the full merchandise of our radical — whether that's his enactment oregon the powerfulness play — volition proceed to improve. I'm hopeful of that."

With Ovechkin closing successful connected passing Gretzky but inactive treble digits away, Lightning manager Jon Cooper said earlier the game, "If helium breaks the grounds tonight, past we did thing wrong."

Ovechkin did not rather bash that, but helium inactive took different measurement person to making hockey history.

"That's wherefore he's got 800-plus of them," Cooper said afterward. "He knows what to bash erstwhile he's successful that spot."