Alexander Ovechkin was close to scoring the entire match against Ottawa, but each time the forward was a little short. However, in the game that went to overtime, Ovechkin still managed to hit the goal and bring Washington victory in a difficult match.

With just one throw, Alexander set several records and “robbed” the legendary hockey player.

Washington finally has consistency

After a convincing victory over Anaheim (3:0), Washington head coach Spencer Carbery was finally satisfied with the team’s performance in the 5-on-5 format. For the first time after a long stretch, the Capitals returned to the numbers they had at the start of the season.

Even Alexander Ovechkin’s line looked convincing in equal strengths, although there have been problems with this component recently. The offensive line Ovechkin – Dubois – Protas outplayed the opponent in many key parameters: shots on target (+4), scoring chances (+3) and expected goals (+0.08).

Considering the progress of the striking trio, one could count on the return of the Washington captain to his previous phenomenal rate of performance. After the injury, the Russian played only 10 matches and scored 7 points (5+2). But in the last five meetings, the forward slowed down, scoring only one goal during this period and notching an assist.

Alexander Ovechkin / Photo: © Rich Graessle / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

The only thing that was confusing was Ottawa’s ability to dry out matches. The Senators are in a fierce battle for a place in the top eight and are not allowing their opponents to celebrate hockey. Thus, the Canadian club approached the home match with Washington with a series of three victories, two of which were clean sheets; the total goal difference for this period was 10-2.

Ovechkin rewrote history with one shot

Knowing that the Capitals (159) are on the second line in the list of the most productive teams in the league, second only to Winnipeg (160), I wanted to hope that the opponents would reveal the strongest in the scoring shootout. But already the first period showed that the audience will have to show a fair amount of patience to wait for the first goal. Firstly, goalkeepers Levi Meriläinen and Logan Thompson showed excellent performances at both ends of the ice. The Finnish goalkeeper of “Ottawa” tried very hard to prevent the judges from recording Ovechkin’s name in the protocol.

First, he pulled a throw into the near corner from defender Rasmus Sandin, who received an excellent pass from the Russian. Then Brandon Duhaime ran down the left flank in a 2-on-1 counterattack and passed it to the far post, and the captain of the capital club tried to complete the pass with one touch, but didn’t really hit the puck. Secondly, most of the teams’ attacks ended in either inaccurate crosses or shots wide of the goal. As a result, Washington was only able to get the puck to Meriläinen six times, and Ottawa didn’t have much more shots on target – eight.

After the break, the hosts were closer to scoring, having twice played in the majority. But the Capitals and Thompson managed to withstand the onslaught of the opponent and maintain the score. Having failed to realize several great chances, already in the third period the Senators themselves were close to conceding a goal, when in the 45th minute the guests had a numerical advantage.

Ovechkin again had the opportunity to distinguish himself. The Russian, as part of a special team, made a tight shot from his “office” after a pass from John Carlson, but could not upset Meriläinen. Soon, Alexander once again tried to check the Finnish goalkeeper’s readiness, but this time the forward’s shot was completely blocked.

As a result, the game went into overtime, where Sandin and Ovechkin played a key role. The defender worked in defense, covered the hosts’ attack and started his own, running out with the captain against one opponent. The Swede passed to the Russian, and he hit Meriläinen’s goal with a powerful wrist shot in the 64th minute. I have my 874th career goal! There are still 20 goals left before Wayne Gretzky scores.

Alexander Ovechkin / Photo: © Chris Tanouye/Freestyle Photo / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

But with an accurate shot in overtime, Alexander had already rewritten the history of the NHL. The forward surpassed Jaromir Jagr in the number of goalies he has scored against in the NHL – now there are 179 of them! Ovechkin spent 20 seasons as a member of the capital’s club to achieve an incredible record.

In addition, the Russian surpassed Jagr (12) in overtime goals in away matches and now also has the best result in the league (13). Soon the Czech hockey player (135) may lose the lead in winning goals, because Alexander (134) has come close to him.