In the return of Evgeny Kuznetsov but with Carolina Hurricanes red, the Washington Capitals and their fans got the last laugh. Lots of players stepped up and you can tell in an 7-6 win. Here were the top 3 studs in last night's epic win.
#3 Alex Ovechkin
Alex Ovechkin continues to have us appreciate greatness night after night. His power play goal was his 24th and earlier in the season he was projected to finish at 24 goals. Then as he struggled that number got lower to 16. Now he's at 24 and 48 away from Wayne Gretzky.
Couldn't have made it easier for the #Gr8 pic.twitter.com/nX5C4B9oT4
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 23, 2024
Ovechkin wasn't in his usual office spot but just a bit outside but he was knocking at the doorstep and got the puck at the right split second.
The goal extended Ovechkin's goal streak to four games with six goals as well as 16 in his last 23 games. His PPG marked his first career goal against Pyor Kochetkov, the 175th different goaltender Ovechkin has scored on in his career. Only Jaromir Jagr (178) and Patrick Marleau (177) have scored on more goaltenders in NHL history.
Kochetkov is the sixth new goaltender Ovechkin has scored on this season. He also had scored on Duston Wolf on Monday at Calgary.