Goal No. 801 was well worth the wait for Alex Ovechkin.
Goalless for four games after scoring his 800th career goal last week, the Capitals’ superstar found the back of the net in front of his home crowd on Friday night, tying Gordie Howe for second on the NHL’s all-time list.
Ovechkin scored on a wrister with 1:38 remaining in the first period against the Winnipeg Jets. Capital One Arena then erupted into ear-shattering cheers and “O-vi” chants.
Ovechkin, who surpassed Marcel Dionne, Brett Hull and Jaromir Jagr on the goals list last season, entered this year 21 behind Gordie Howe — one of the greatest players in NHL history during his illustrious 26-year career. Ovechkin is now 93 behind Wayne Gretzky, who sits atop the mountain at 894 goals.
The 37-year-old winger is in the midst of another quintessential “Great 8” campaign — on pace to score nearly 48 goals. His goal Monday was his 21st of the season.
Ovechkin started the season slow (by his standards), scoring at a 36-goal pace through the team’s first 20 games. But he then went on a heater, tallying 11 goals and six assists in an 11-game stretch (8-2-1 record for Washington). The highlight of the strong stretch was the hat trick he scored against Chicago last week — goals 798, 799 and 800 of his career.
Ovechkin’s strong play — along with improved goaltending and players returning from injuries — is a significant reason why Washington went from 7-10-3 and near the bottom of the Eastern Conference to occupants of the final wild card spot entering Friday.
This story will be updated.
