Alex Ovechkin is off to a hot start in his 17th season in the NHL. The captain picked up two goals and two assists in the Washington Capitals’ 5-1 win over the New York Rangers to open the 2021-22 season.
Ovechkin’s two goals moved him into fifth-place all-time in NHL goals.
His first goal came on the power play 2:37 into the third period. John Carlson fired a shot from the top that bounced off the chest of teammate Anthony Mantha. Ovechkin swooped and deposited the puck through the net.
The Capitals led 4-0 at that point. Meanwhile, Ovechkin momentarily moved into a tie for fifth with Marcel Dionne with 731 career goals.
Ovechkin did sit there for long, as he scored No. 732 shorthanded on the penalty kill.
Evgeny Kutznetsov dumped the puck off the boards. Ovechkin raced past the defense to gather the puck before dropping Alexandar Georgiev to knees and backhanding the puck through his legs for the score.
Ovechkin is now nine goals behind Brett Hull for fourth on the all-time list. He’s 34 behind Jaromir Jagr for third. If the nine-time Maurice Rocket winner keeps up the early pace, he can clear both this season in the very near future.
Meanwhile, Ovechkin reached another milestone. He now has 150 career multi-goal games. That’s fourth in league history, trailing only Wayne Gretzky, Hull and Mario Lemieux.
Not a bad start for the 36-year old considering he was a game-time decision for Wednesday’s opener. He suffered a lower-body injury in the preseason and was day-to-day leading up to the season.
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