Alex Ovechkin is inching closer to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record. On Thursday, Ovechkin scored career goal number 875 after a sensational individual play. However, it came from yet another empty-netter, prompting some interesting post-game comments from his teammate Aliaksei Protas about Ovi’s knack for scoring empty-net goals.
Many believed Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 goals was untouchable, but Ovechkin, now 39 years old, continues to defy expectations. He’s currently on pace to score 45 goals this season, and after Thursday’s game, he sits just 20 goals shy of Gretzky’s mark. At this rate, Ovechkin is projected to break the record in early April, during the Capitals’ final stretch of games.
Alex Ovechkin’s empty-net goal
Entering Thursday’s matchup against the Seattle Kraken, Ovechkin had gone two games without a goal. The Capitals won a defensive-zone faceoff, and the puck eventually found its way to Ovechkin, who displayed his strength by spinning around an opponent before launching a shot into an empty net from 132 feet away. With this, Ovechkin extended his all-time record to 62 career empty-net goals.
To those who suggest Ovechkin is “empty-netting” his way past Gretzky, teammate Aliaksei Protas had a simple response after the game:
“They don’t ask ‘How?’ they ask ‘How many?’” Protas said with a smile. “You’ve got to score that goal from the defensive zone. With all the accomplishments he has, he’s fully earned it.”
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