Alex Ovechkin scores 801st goal, ties Gordie Howe for 2nd in NHL history – National

Alex Ovechkin has tied Gordie Howe for second on the NHL profession targets record.

Ovechkin scored his 801st aim in the course of the first interval of the Washington Capitals’ recreation towards the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night time. He acquired a drop go from Dylan Strome on the prime of the precise circle and slid a wrist shot between the pads of David Rittich with 1:28 left within the interval.

He was mobbed by teammates on the glass to rejoice whereas his aim tune, Massive Joe Turner’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” blared from area audio system. Followers chanted, “Ovi! Ovi! Ovi” and gave him a standing ovation in the course of the subsequent stoppage when Ovechkin was honored for his newest accomplishment.

Ovechkin ended a four-game aim drought and matched Howe greater than every week since changing into the third participant to achieve 800.

“Everyone proper now get pleasure from this experience,” Ovechkin mentioned final week. “It’s nice for all of us to have the ability to get to 800, the third participant ever to do this, and be on the identical workforce I feel it’s fairly cool. It’s fairly particular for them.”

His subsequent aim will give him sole possession of second place and put Ovechkin 92 away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s file of 894 that lengthy appeared unapproachable.

“What he’s completed yr after yr, the consistency, and him having the ability to produce the way in which he’s persistently completed, it’s fairly outstanding,” mentioned Toronto star Auston Matthews, the NHL’s reigning MVP who scored 60 targets final season. “Yearly he all the time performs each recreation prefer it’s his final. He’s only a horse on the market. He loves to attain targets, and I feel that’s been fairly evident all through his profession. You may simply inform.”

And Ovechkin doesn’t intend on stopping any time quickly. He’s signed for 3 extra years after this season in hopes of surpassing 894 targets.

“He scores in bunches greater than anybody ever, and that’s in all probability why he’s the place he’s proper now,” Washington defenseman John Carlson mentioned. “This historical past, the individuals (he’s passing), you’re like, holy smokes, you get to play with a man for 13 years that’s beating these guys within the historical past books. It’s fairly cool stuff.”

It was Ovechkin’s 52nd aim — essentially the most of any opponent — in 71 video games towards the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise. He additionally scored his 600th aim at house towards Winnipeg.

Jets affiliate coach Scott Arniel, who spent the earlier 4 seasons as a Capitals, assistant, mentioned he discovered shortly that Ovechkin “doesn’t cease.”

“He’s such a pushed man when he goes out to play,” Arniel mentioned. “(He isn’t) only a slap shot, one-timer man standing on the aspect on the facility play. I noticed all of the targets he scored standing in entrance of the online. Even the hat trick he received in Chicago, all three have been proper there. He’s completed a number of that as properly.”

Ovechkin scored in his first recreation going through Rittich, who turned the 166th NHL goaltender he has crushed for a aim throughout his 18-year profession.

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