Well that sure was A Hockey Game last night! If you missed the first two periods of yesterday’s matchup between the Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators, you didn’t miss much. Other than Logan Thompson making some killer saves to keep his team in the game, the first 40 minutes were a lot of skating around and not much else. The Caps were outpaced by a much younger, speedier Sens team, which kept them from generating shots and making plays.
Washington did pick things up in the third period, finally surpassing the 20-shot mark, but it wasn’t enough to save them from overtime. With the way the game had gone through regulation, the prospect of 3-on-3 OT against the much faster Ottawa team was not looking good. However, it was noted speed demon Alex Ovechkin to the rescue to secure the extra point for the Capitals. Let’s unpack career goal 874 for the Great 8, shall we?
This goal started at the other end of the rink with a great defensive play from Rasmus Sandin. He followed Ottawa defenseman Jake Sanderson behind the Washington net and stole the puck from him before booking it towards the other end of the ice. Sandin had Ovechkin with him on the odd-man break and timed his pass perfectly right off the zone entry. Ovechkin didn’t even break his stride before calling his own number and sniping the puck past Leevi Merilainen.

21 goals in 29 games this season. 874 career goals. 27 OT game-winners. Just ridiculous. Merilainen is now the 179th goalie Ovi has scored on throughout his career, breaking the tie with Jaromir Jagr for the most in NHL history. Yes, you read that right: no player has scored on more goaltenders in NHL history than Alex Ovechkin. He is also now just 20 goals away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record.
For a game that was, for the most part, a bit of a snooze fest, it sure ended with excitement. Hopefully, the Capitals can carry this momentum into their Saturday night tilt with the Penguins in DC.