Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin on Tuesday moved up to sixth place on the NHL’s all-time goalscoring list as he netted his 718th career goal in a 3-1 win over the New York Islanders.
The 35-year-old Russian ace passed Phil Esposito in the scoring rankings after bagging his 12th goal of the season on a power play with 4 minutes, 36 seconds left in the second period.
Ovechkin’s 718th career goal came in his 1,177th regular season game for the Capitals, with whom he has spent most of his career since being recruited by the club as the No. 1 pick in the 2004 draft.
Photo: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY
“It’s history. It’s pretty good numbers and happy to be in that category,” Ovechkin was quoted as saying by the Washington Post. “It’s done.”
Only five players stand ahead of Ovechkin in the rankings — Marcel Dionne (731), Brett Hull (741), Jaromir Jagr (766), Gordie Howe (801) and Wayne Gretzky (894).
A message of congratulations from Esposito was played on a video screen at the Capital One Arena on Tuesday to mark Ovechkin’s scoring milestone.
“You are a fantastic hockey player and I don’t know how you score all those goals with the way these guys block shots with the great equipment that they wear,” Esposito said. “Good luck. Keep it going.”
Also on Tuesday, it was:
‧ Avalanche 8, Ducks 4
‧ Lightning 4, Stars 3
‧ Wild 3, Coyotes 0
‧ Red Wings 4, Hurricanes 2
‧ Devils 3, Sabres 2
‧ Bruins 2, Penguins 1
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