WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored his 872nd career goal, putting him just 23 goals away from surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record, as the Washington Capitals defeated the struggling New York Rangers 7-4 on Saturday.
Ovechkin’s impressive performance comes as he has netted four goals in five games since returning from a 16-game absence due to a broken left leg. The 39-year-old superstar currently has 19 goals this season and is on track to potentially break Gretzky’s milestone of 894 goals this spring.
Contributing to the Capitals’ victory, Dylan Strome, Lars Eller, Andrew Mangiapane, Connor McMichael, and Aliaksei Protas also found the back of the net against Rangers’ goaltender Jonathan Quick, who remains one win short of reaching 400 career wins. Tom Wilson sealed the game with an empty-net goal with just 37.5 seconds remaining, while Logan Thompson made 28 saves, making up for an error that led to a goal by Chris Kreider.
Though the Rangers mounted a comeback effort with goals from Sam Carrick, Filip Chytil, and Mika Zibanejad in the third period, Quick struggled, allowing six goals on 27 shots. The loss marked the Rangers’ 16th defeat in 21 games, dropping them from a strong playoff position to tied for last place.
In terms of takeaways from the game, the Rangers displayed a return to inconsistent play following a brief resurgence with a win over Boston. Head coach Peter Laviolette’s job security may be in question despite his limited responsibility for the underperformance of several key players.
Meanwhile, the Capitals, despite not playing their best hockey and experiencing a midseason slump, continue to find ways to win games.
A pivotal moment in the game occurred when Protas scored to extend Washington’s lead to 6-4 shortly after Zibanejad had narrowed the gap to just one goal. This goal proved crucial in maintaining the Capitals’ advantage.
An important statistic from the game was the Capitals’ success on the power play, with two goals helping them accumulate a total of seven power-play goals over the past seven games.
Looking ahead, the Rangers are scheduled to face the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon, while the Capitals will travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Monday night.
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