Alex Ovechkin scores his 886th goal to seal the Capitals’ 4-2 win over the Kraken
WASHINGTON — — Alex Ovechkin scored his 886th career goal into an empty net to seal the Washington Capitals’ 4-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday, moving nine back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record and helping the Eastern Conference leaders win their fourth game in a row.
Ovechkin backhanded the puck in from center ice with 1:31 left, sending the crowd into jubilation and chants of “Ovi! Ovi!” His 33rd goal of the season was also his 1,600th career point.
Connor McMichael scored the go-ahead goal a few minutes earlier, not long after a line brawl nearly broke out and all five skaters on each team were sent to the penalty box, where players kept jawing at each other before Washington’s Brandon Duhaime was escorted to the bench and down the tunnel to the locker room for his 10-minute misconduct. The post-whistle pushing and shoving kept flaring up and went on for some time as officials worked to keep Tom Wilson and John Hayden from fighting.
Martin Fehervary and Dylan Strome also scored and Charlie Lindgren made 30 saves for Capitals, who padded their comfortable lead atop the East and the Metropolitan Division.
Shane Wright and Jordan Eberle scored and Joey Daccord stopped 20 of the 23 shots he faced for the Kraken, who were unable to string together back-to-back wins on the weekend.
Takeaways
Kraken: It’s all about the future, and Wright with 15 goals looks like he could be a big part of it for Seattle.
Capitals: Things are clicking again for Washington after a midseason lull.
Key moment
McMichael redirected John Carlson’s slap pass past Daccord with 4:16 left to break the tie.
Key stat
The teams combined for 50 penalty minutes.
Up next
Capitals open a three-game California road trip Tuesday night at Anaheim, while the Kraken return home to face Montreal on Wednesday night.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Seattle Kraken
Washington Capitals
Ovechkin scores 886th goal, nine shy of breaking NHL record
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Alex Ovechkin scores his 886th goal to seal the Capitals’ 4-2 win over the Kraken
Regular Season Series
Game Information
2024-25 Pacific Division Standings
2024-25 Metropolitan Division Standings
NHL News
WSH wins 2-0
| 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| WSH | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Team | W | L | OTL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vegas | 38 | 18 | 6 | 82 |
| Edmonton | 37 | 22 | 4 | 78 |
| Los Angeles | 32 | 20 | 9 | 73 |
| Calgary | 30 | 23 | 10 | 70 |
| Vancouver | 29 | 22 | 11 | 69 |
| Anaheim | 27 | 28 | 7 | 61 |
| Seattle | 27 | 34 | 4 | 58 |
| San Jose | 17 | 39 | 9 | 43 |
| Team | W | L | OTL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 42 | 14 | 8 | 92 |
| Carolina | 37 | 22 | 4 | 78 |
| New Jersey | 34 | 25 | 6 | 74 |
| Columbus | 30 | 24 | 8 | 68 |
| NY Rangers | 31 | 26 | 6 | 68 |
| NY Islanders | 29 | 26 | 7 | 65 |
| Philadelphia | 27 | 30 | 8 | 62 |
| Pittsburgh | 25 | 31 | 10 | 60 |
Caps Host Kraken
Beauvillier practices with Caps, expected to make Washington debut Sunday vs. Seattle
March 9 vs. Seattle Kraken at Capital One Arena
Time: 3:30 p.m.
TV: MNMT
Radio: 106.7 THE FAN, Caps Radio 24/7
Seattle Kraken (27-33-4)
Washington Capitals (41-14-8)
The Caps close out a quick, two-game weekend homestand on Sunday afternoon against the Seattle Kraken. Washington carries a three-game winning streak into the contest and the Caps will depart the District immediately after Sunday’s game. The Caps will spend the next week in the Golden State, facing the NHL’s three California clubs.
Coming two days after the NHL’s trade deadline for the 2024-25 season, the trip is well-timed for Washington. The Caps acquired forward Anthony Beauvillier in a Friday morning deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the 27-year-old winger arrived in the DMV late Friday night; Pittsburgh was on the road out west when the deal went down.
Beauvillier met and practiced with his new teammates for the first time on Saturday morning, and he is expected to make his debut for the Caps on Sunday against Seattle. He skated the right side of a line with Brandon Duhaime and Nic Dowd at Saturday’s practice session.
“I was still sleeping, so it was definitely a crazy morning,” says Beauvillier of learning of the trade. “But hearing that I was coming to Washington, I couldn’t be more pumped. These guys have put in so much work this year, and obviously playing against these guys is never an easy game. And joining a team that’s had success and is looking to have success over the next couple of months, it’s definitely an honor to be here, and a privilege.”
Beauvillier had 13 goals and 20 points while averaging 13 minutes per game with the Penguins this season. He missed only one game this season prior to the trade, and his dozen goals at 5-on-5 were third-most among all Penguins this season.
“I’m just getting to know him,” says Washington coach Spencer Carbery of the newest Capital. “I’ve seen quite a bit of him in the past, most recently over the last couple years, but also following his career in New York, where he was there for a long time and part of those quality teams that they had – for call it a good 10-year stretch – when Barry [Trotz] was there, and even before that.
“I’m excited to have him. I think he’s going to be a great addition to the group. I think him having a few relationships with a couple of the guys on the team, all the reports, all the things we know about him, I think he’ll be a good fit to our style of play, the pace he plays with, some of the attention to detail, stuff that we require our guys to play with. And so I think he’ll be a real good fit.”
Originally a first-round choice (28th overall) of the New York Islanders in the 2015 NHL Draft, Beauvillier reached the NHL as a 19-year-old in 2016-17, and has played only three minor league games in his pro career, all of them with AHL Bridgeport in 2017-18.
“I like to think I’m a hard-working guy that’s good on the forecheck,” says Beauvillier, by way of self-description. “I can generate speed and make plays, I like to play with energy and a little bit of grit, so I’ll try to bring that to the team.”
“We’ll put him with Dowd and Dewey right out of the gate,” says Carbery. “Which you may look at and say, ‘Well, he’s a fourth line wing.’ But as everybody knows, Dowd’s line doesn’t play much like a fourth line. They play a lot more minutes than that, and Dowd and Dewey are really good players to play with to get him integrated into our group. They talk a ton, not only on the ice, but off the ice, on the bench. So I think it’s a good starting point for Anthony, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
After spending most of the first seven seasons of his career with the Isles, the Caps will become Beauvillier’s sixth NHL team in the last three seasons, and Washington is the fourth team he has joined in midseason in the last three campaigns.
“The game itself stays the same,” he says, of adjusting to new NHL environments. “You play against the same kind of players, but yeah, you’ve definitely got to try to get the system under your belt as quick as possible. But I think the biggest thing for me is to get to know the guys as quick as possible, and be comfortable around them. Usually, that shows on the ice.”
With a new player joining the ranks three-quarters of the way into the season, it’s good timing for Beauvillier and the Caps to be heading out onto the road.
“We’ll give him one game at home,” says Carbery, referring to Sunday’s tilt with Seattle. “I even think just [Saturday’s practice], just being able to get in [Friday] night and then have a full day to get everything squared away, equipment.
“There’s so much that goes into it; he’s just trying to figure out what doors to go through. I always remember that. Even as a coach coming in – let alone all your responsibilities – you’re just like, ‘Where do I go? Where’s the washroom?’
“So it will be nice for him to get a game at home and then get out on the road with the guys. And he’s got some prior relationships, and he’s played in the League, so I’m sure he’s familiar with a lot of these guys. And yeah, looking forward to him joining the group.”
For the second time in as many games on this homestand, the Caps will be facing a team that played the day or night before. Seattle spent Saturday afternoon in the City of Brotherly Love, facing the Flyers. On Sunday in Washington, the Kraken will conclude a compact three-game road trip in which that trio of games was played in a span of just under 72 hours.
The trip began Thursday night in Nashville with a 5-3 loss to the Predators. The Kraken evened up with a 4-1 victory over the Flyers on Saturday, getting three goals in the second period and a 23-save performance from ex-Caps goalie Phillip Grubauer in the nets. Saturday marked Grubauer’s first NHL action since Jan. 28, and his victory over the Flyers snapped a personal six-game slide (0-5-1).
News Feed
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Capitals Acquire Anthony Beauvillier from Pittsburgh Penguins
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SKATE SHAVINGS — News and Notes from Caps’ Morning Skate
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Lindgren, Caps Agree to Extension
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Live updates: Washington Capitals vs Seattle Kraken at Capital One Arena
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The Washington Capitals are back in action on Sunday with a matinee date with the Seattle Kraken. It’s the Caps’ last game at home before going out west for a three-game road trip.
Newest Capital, Anthony Beauvillier, will make his debut for the team on the fourth line. Charlie Lindgren will get the start in goal and oppose Joey Daccord in net.
Puck drop for the Caps-Kraken game is set for 3:30 pm on Monumental Sports Network. Joe Beninati and Alan May have the call.
Ovechkin’s chase of Wayne Gretzky continues today. He’s 9 away from tying and 10 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record.
Puck is dropped.
Dylan Strome to the box for hooking Eeli Tolvanen.
11 minutes into the game, the Capitals are being outshot 9-2 by the Kraken.
1-0 Seattle Kraken. SEA Goal: Shane Wright (15). Assists: A. Burakovsky (18), A. Larsson (14). Time: 12:37.
Andre Burakovsky, what a pass. You could say he was in the Wright place at the Wright time. (Please tip your waitress.)
Tom Wilson destroys Jordan Eberle into the glass.
Seattle whistled for a too many men penalty. Caps to their first power play. Shots are currently 13 to 4.
At intermission: Seattle is KRUSHING the Capitals in process stats. They’re outshooting the Caps 14 to 7 and out-attempting Washington 24 to 10 at five-on-five.
Puck is dropped.
Capitals look like a totally different team for the second period.
1-1 tie. WSH Goal: Martin Fehervary (4). Assists: A. Protas (30), C. McMichael (27). Time: 00:35.
Insane pass by Aliaksei Protas to Martin Fehervary for a one-timer. That’s career point no. 100 for Connor McMichael.
2-1 Washington Capitals. WSH Goal: Dylan Strome (19). Assists: R. Sandin (20), J. Carlson (37). Time: 02:51.
Strome rips a shot from way downtown past a screened Daccord.
2-2 tie. SEA Goal: Jordan Eberle (7). Assists: C. Stephenson (32), E. Tolvanen (11). Time: 07:23.
Eberle scores on a huge shot from the left circle. A great feed by Chandler Stephenson on that one.
Lars Eller to the box for high-sticking Kappo Kakko at 14:39.
At intermission: It’s a tie ball game. The Kraken lead in shots 23 to 13 and in five-on-five shot attempts, 45 to 24.
Puck is dropped.
Tom Wilson drags his leg and trips Andre Burakovsky at 1:25. Kraken go to the power play. So far today they’re 0 for 2 and have 0 shots.
Huge fracas between the Kraken and Capitals that includes Tom Wilson and Brandon Duhaime along with John Hayden and Brandon Montour. That lasted for a good two minutes. All 10 players on the ice got penalties at 6:28. The Kraken got a two-minute power play after Duhaime got two minors and a 10-minute misconduct.
Connor McMichael hits the pipe. The goal light goes on, but it’s ruled no goal.
More big chances for Connor McMichael from point blank range but Daccord stops him.
3-2 Washington Capitals. WSH Goal: Connor McMichael (23). Assists: J. Carlson (38), J. Chychrun (23). Time: 15:34.
John Carlson with an indirect shot right to Connor McMichael who deflects it home from just outside the crease. Caps take the lead!
4-2 Washington Capitals. WSH Goal: Alex Ovechkin (33). Assists: T. Wilson (23), N. Dowd (11). Time: 18:31.
Point no. 1600 is Alex Ovechkin’s 886th career goal. A no-look empty-netter from the side boards.
Capitals beat Kraken 4-2. Kraken outshoot the Capitals 32 to 24.
Comment below. Refresh for live updates during the game. The thread will be closed shortly after the game is completed.
Alex Ovechkin scores 886th career goal, making him 11th player ever to reach 1,600 NHL points
Caps beat Kraken 4-2 as Ovi draws nearer
Alex Ovechkin could add new goaltender to goals list as Joey Daccord will start for Kraken against Capitals
Alex Ovechkin reunited with NHL Award trophies he’s won as his chase of Wayne Gretzky’s goals record nears end
Anthony Beauvillier will make Capitals debut against Kraken, Charlie Lindgren to start in net
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