Lots of Washington Capitals fans turned out in Boston and they were treated to a good game in a 4-3 win over the Bruins. Alex Ovechkin scored the second goal of the contest to bring himself to four of passing Wayne Gretzky's mark for the most goals scored in NHL history.
How it happened and what was said:
"A goal's a goal. It was a great play by Strome and (Carlson). "Alex Ovechkin
Ovechkin's goal was a slam dunk deflection that completely blindsided Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman. It came on the power play. Earlier the Caps got a goal from Nic Dowd. Later in the contest Dylan Strome scored while Tom Wilson had what went on to be the game winning goal.
The game also marked the NHL debut of Ryan Leonard who signed a three year entry level contract the day prior. The 20 year old was selected at number eighth overall in the 2023 NHL Draft and he finished his night with a plus/minus of a plus one in 14:14 minutes of ice time playing on the second line with Strome and Aliaksei Protas.
Ovechkin would add on the new kid in town, "Happy for him. He played solid, physical, controlled the puck well, and he has a great future.
Back to Ovechkin. He's now a hat trick away from tying Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals mark of 894. The Caps are back in action tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes down in Raleigh at Lenovo Center. You can catch the game at 7 p.m. across Monumental Sports Network, TNT, truTV, and MAX.
"Game by game, shift by shift. Right now, at this time of the year, everybody has to be sharp and get ready for the playoffs. "Alex Ovechkin
The Caps have eight games left and with the win improved their record to 48-17-9. When Spencer Carbery was asked about whether or not The Gr8 Chase and the chase for glory in the spring have conflicted with each other, the Caps second year bench boss was quick to say the opposite.
"I think it's brought our group up. And the anticipation and him scoring and the jolt of energy that it's provided on a nightly basis. I don't think it's been a negative or weight on anybody's shoulders, his or the rest of the group. "Spencer Carbery
Dylan Strome added, "Every game brings a new challenge and it's a chance for history. So, we're excited. It's been a lot of fun to be along for the ride for this couple years, and it's only going to get better."
Goal number 891 came on the power play at 15:43 of the second period to bring Washington up 2-0. A crowd known for booing the opposition in their sports city in the Boston faithful rose to their feat as at the same time, they know good sports milestones when they see it.
What makes Ovechkin's chase all the more remarkable isn't that he's 39. Lets be honest, we would've already wrote the 895 story with the tear he was on from the start of the season had that injury in November not happened.
In case you forgot, and it's easy to when you see Ovechkin still scoring at the rate he is, Ovi missed 16 games from Nov. 21 to Dec. 23 with a fractured left fibula.
Despite missing those games, Ovi has 38 goals in 58 games and is two away from reaching 40 goals for the 14th time in his 20 seasons. That would increase his League record total. He's scored in two straight games, the other one being in an 8-5 home ice loss to the Buffalo Sabres Sunday afternoon.