Alex Ovechkin isn’t just a goalscoring machine. It’s easy to think that of a player who’s on a hunt for a record most people thought was unreachable. But he’s not far away from The Great One’s 894 goals, which leads the NHL in All-Time goals.
Ovechkin currently sits at 788 goals, and if you score that many goals, physique shouldn’t be your greatest ability. But Alex Ovechkin isn’t like every other player.
Ovechkin is, of course, most known for his awesome slap shots and his ability to always be in the right place at the right time. But Ovechkin is also one of the strongest players in the league, and if he gets the opportunity to bulldoze someone, he usually takes it.
And when it’s a rivalry matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Alexander Ovechkin usually brings his A Game. The meeting between the two teams on Wednesday was no different.
Ovechkin didn’t manage to get on the scoresheet, and he didn’t score any points at all, but he still caught the fan’s eyes with a breathtaking hit on Jan Rutta. The Pens defenseman carried the puck around the back of the net when Ovechkin saw an opportunity he couldn’t let slip.
He followed through beautifully, and the hit was nothing but perfect. Jan Rutta quickly got up and, annoyed, went after Ovechkin. The Finn delivered a cross-check to Ovechkin, sending him to the penalty box on a two-minute minor for cross-checking.
Ovechkin and the Capitals didn’t seize the opportunity on the powerplay, and not only did the Penguins kill the penalty off, but they also scored a short-handed goal. The Pens won the rivalry matchup, 4-1.
