Ovechkin scores 886th goal, nine shy of breaking NHL record
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.
According to ESPN Research, it was Ovechkin’s eighth empty-net goal this season, which pushed him one ahead of Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen and Tampa Bay forward Brandon Hagel for the NHL lead. Ovechkin also extended his NHL record for the most career empty-net goals with 65.
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 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 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.
Ovechkin and the Capitals will open a three-game California trip Tuesday night at Anaheim. His next goal in March, according to ESPN Research, will be the 158th of his career, which will surpass Gretzky for the most in any calendar month. Gretzky finished his career with 157 tallies in December.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
DENVER — Artyom Levshunov was recalled by Chicago on Sunday, putting the No. 2 pick in last year’s NHL draft on the brink of his Blackhawks debut.
Levshunov, a 19-year-old defenseman, has five goals and 17 assists in 50 games with Rockford of the American Hockey League. He missed the start of the season because of a fractured right foot.
The last-place Blackhawks are at Colorado on Monday night. They visit San Jose on Thursday night before closing out a four-game trip at Vancouver on Saturday night.
Levshunov, a Belarus native, had nine goals and 26 assists in his only season at Michigan State. He was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.
He signed an entry-level contract with Chicago in July. The three-year deal carries a $975,000 cap hit.
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Ovechkin scores No. 886, Capitals defeat Kraken for 4th straight win
Washington captain moves within 9 of breaking Gretzky’s record; McMichael has goal, assist
Kraken at Capitals | Recap
WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin scored his 886th goal in the Washington Capitals’ 4-2 win against the Seattle Kraken at Capital One Arena on Sunday.
The Capitals captain scored into an empty net at 18:31 of the third period to move within nine goals of passing Wayne Gretzky for the NHL record. It was Ovechkin’s 1,600th NHL point in his 1,474th game.
He has 33 goals this season with 18 games remaining. With a goals-per-game rate of 0.69 this season, Ovechkin is on pace to pass Gretzky’s mark of 894 on April 10 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“We all know what’s happening and how historic it is,” Washington forward Dylan Strome said. “It’s incredible. We obviously want to get him on the ice. He does a great job of finding ways to get open.”
SEA@WSH: Ovechkin records 1,600th point of career with No. 886
Connor McMichael scored the go-ahead goal in the third and had an assist for the Capitals (42-14-8), who have won four straight since losing three in a row. John Carlson had two assists, and Charlie Lindgren made 30 saves.
“I just think we weren’t happy with how we were playing, and I still think we have a lot to work on, but obviously good character stuff going on,” Carlson said. “There’s a lot of momentum that we can build off of.”
Shane Wright and Jordan Eberle scored for the Kraken (27-34-4), who won 4-1 against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday but have lost five of seven. Joey Daccord made 20 saves.
“It stings,” said Eberle, the Seattle captain. “I think we played well enough to at least come away with a point, get it to OT. I liked the compete. I liked the battle. I like that. But ultimately you play, that’s a good team, but you want to come out ahead.”
McMichael gave the Capitals a 3-2 lead at 15:44 of the third, redirecting a slap pass from Carlson past Daccord.
“I knew the whole way that he saw me, and he kind of looked me off — a little deception,” McMichael said. “You can always count on Johnny to find me. It was a great play by him.”
SEA@WSH: McMichael directs Carlson’s pass into the back of the net
Wright gave Seattle a 1-0 lead at 12:37 of the first period when he tipped in a pass from Andre Burakovsky in the right circle on the rush for his 15th goal of the season.
Martin Fehervary tied it 1-1 just 35 seconds into the second period, scoring on a one-timer from the left circle off a drop pass from Aliaksei Protas.
Strome gave Washington a 2-1 lead at 2:51 when he scored through a screen from the point.
Eberle tied it 2-2 at 7:23, scoring in front off a pass from Chandler Stephenson on a 2-on-1 rush after a neutral zone turnover. It was his first goal in eight games since returning from a lower-body injury.
“I think it’s our second game when we have a slow start,” Ovechkin said. “I think all four lines kind of was sleepy, but it’s a good thing the first shift in the second period kind of woke us up, and you can see in the third period we had plenty of chances to score.”
SEA@WSH: Eberle with a Goal vs. Washington Capitals
Seattle went 0-for-4 with the man-advantage; Washington was 0-for-1.
“It’s a game where your power play needs to step up for you,” Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said. “We got several opportunities to get a goal with the power play. We didn’t, and it turns out to be the difference in the game.”
NOTES: Ovechkin became the 11th player in NHL history to reach 1,600 points. … Forward Anthony Beauvillier, acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday for a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, played 10:55 and was minus-1 in his Capitals debut. … It was Strome’s 500th NHL game. … The Kraken are 0-10-0 in the second game of a back-to-back this season. … Seattle center Matty Beniers was minus-4 in 18:50 of ice time.
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THE GR8 CHASE: Alex Ovechkin pursues Wayne Gretzky’s record
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Alex Ovechkin 9 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record with No. 886
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