Alexander Ovechkin surpassed Gordie Howe in the NHL record book. He moved closer to another milestone during the Washington Capitals’ 6-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Monday night, ending the Devils’ three-game winning streak.
Ovechkin’s third goal of the season, which gave the Capitals a 4-1 lead, was his 783rd career goal. It marked his 122nd game-winning goal, moving him past Howe (121) for second place all-time, behind only Jaromir Jagr (135).
“Yeah. It’s pretty cool, obviously, to be in that company and pass those legends; it’s a pretty cool moment,” Ovechkin said.
Ovechkin now needs four more goals to surpass Howe (786) for the most scored goals with a single NHL franchise.
Caps coach Peter Laviolette frequently receives updates on Ovechkin’s milestones.
“It’s unbelievable. That’s when you stand the test of time over the years,” Laviolette said. “He’s been able to just constantly contribute offensively and score goals. If you do it well enough and long enough, you’re gonna bring down some milestones, so we give it a quick shout at the end of the game when things like that happen.”
Garnet Hathaway, Conor Sheary, and Nick Jensen also scored in the four-goal second period for Washington. Backup goalie Charlie Lindgren made 37 saves, securing his first win since signing with the Capitals as a free agent.
Nic Dowd also scored for Washington, which netted five goals on 18 shots, driving Mackenzie Blackwood from the net after 40 minutes. Aliaksei Protas added an insurance goal late in the game after the Devils pulled within 5-3.
Nathan Bastian, Tomas Tatar, and Jesper Bratt each scored their first goals for New Jersey, aiming for its first four-game winning streak since October 2018.
“If you don’t play 60 minutes, it’s hard to win games in this league,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “We had difficulty finding our legs, and they made us pay.”
Washington has won six consecutive games at the Prudential Center and is 13-2-1 in its last 16 games. Overall, the Capitals are 26-3-3 in their last 32 games against the Devils.
After Bastian and Dowd exchanged goals in the opening period, the Capitals broke the game open with two pairs of goals in the second period.
Hathaway gave Washington the lead by stealing the puck from defenseman Damon Severson along the sideboards and beating Blackwood with a quick shot from 25 feet at 9:16.
Sheary scored a short-handed goal 47 seconds later by intercepting a pass from Bratt in the Devils’ zone and beating Blackwood from between the circles.
Ovechkin extended the lead to 4-1 with a power-play goal from his familiar spot in the left circle at 17:14. Jensen added another goal from the point 33 seconds later.
Tatar and Bratt scored early in the third period to bring the Devils within two goals. Lindgren, who faced Toronto earlier this season, made a spectacular pad save on Yegor Sharangovich with about six minutes remaining.
“They fired a lot of biscuits at the net,” said Lindgren, whose brother Ryan plays for the Rangers. “But I do like feeling the puck. I feel like I got into the game, and it felt awesome to win tonight.”
Game Notes
F Beck Malenstyn, playing his first game of the season with Connor Brown injured, earned his first NHL assist in 16 games on Dowd’s goal. Former Capitals goalie Vitek Vanecek played the third period for New Jersey and made three saves. This was Washington’s first road win in three games. New Jersey went 0 for 4 on the power play.
Up Next:
- Capitals: At Dallas on Thursday in the second stop on a four-game road trip.
- Devils: At Detroit on Tuesday night.
