Alex Ovechkin is on the hunt. The Russian superstar scored his 17th goal of the season during a 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. It wasn’t just the Capitals’ fourth straight victory.
It was also Alex Ovechkin’s 797th goal of his NHL career, and he’s edging closer to a major NHL milestone. Reaching 800 NHL goals is not something everyone can do.
Only two people in league history have scored more than 800, and Ovechkin is now only five goals shy of passing Gordie Howe, second on the NHL’s all-time list.
Gordie Howe scored 801 goals during his career, and most likely, Ovechkin will surpass him before December’s end. However, Ovechkin won’t settle with being Nr. 2 on the list, as his hunt for Wayne Gretzky on top of the list continues.
Alex Ovechkin is currently on pace to score 46 goals this season, and he’s scored four goals in his last three games. But one thing is really special about it.
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He scored the Capitals’ fifth goal against the Jets with 17:48 down on the clock in the third period. It was an empty netter and the Russian’s fourth straight empty net goal.
“That must be some kind of record, four in three games,” teammate Marcus Johansson said.
And he isn’t wrong. According to Tom Gulitti, regional writer for NHL.com, Ovechkin’s fourth straight empty net goal matchest the longest run in NHL history.
Three players – Jake Guentzel, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Gustav Nyquist – have matched Ovi’s four straight EMG.
When Alex Ovechkin scored two empty netters in the same game against the Flyers last week, it sparked a huge discussion with fans on what it would be like if Ovechkin actually scored his record-breaking goal to surpass Gretzky in an empty net.
Most agreed that he shouldn’t be on the ice if he were on 894 goals, tied with Gretzky. What do you think?
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