Washington Capitals: Top 3 studs against the Isles

#1 Alex Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin scored the second goal of the game. After Mathew Barzal was called for cross checking Nick Jensen, the Caps got on the power play and Ovechkin made them pay. Ovechkin scored right from the office at 15:24, assisted by Justin Schultz and Nicklas Backstrom for his 12th goal of the season and 718th of his career.

Ovechkin’s goal bypassed Phil Esposito for sixth place on the NHL’s all time scoring list. Next up he’ll be chasing Marcell Dionne who finished his career with 731 goals. Ovechkin’s 0.61 goals per game rate is the highest among the eight players who have reached the 700 goal milestone.

That wasn’t the only milestone Ovechkin achieved last night. He assisted on T.J. Oshie’s goal for his 1,300th career point. He became the 35th player in NHL history and the second active player to reach the 1,300 milestone. Ovechkin’s goal came on the power play and he is now two power play goals shy of passing Brett Hull (265) for the second most in NHL history.

Ovechkin told the media after the game via Roman Stubbs of The Washington Post (subscription required):

"“It’s history. It’s pretty good numbers and happy to be in that category. It’s done. How I say, it’s history.”"

Backstrom added:

"“I think the way he shoots the puck, the way he scores, the way he plays the game is just fun to see. As a teammate, you’re just enjoying every moment.”"

Those are our top 3 studs from last night’s game. The Caps will be off for a few days before returning to action Friday night as they open a two game series with the New York Rangers.