Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin sets new NHL record with 18th 30-goal season

Tuesday’s game between the Red Wings and Capitals had massive ramifications in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Red Wings occupied the second wild card spot in the East heading into Tuesday’s action; the Capitals sat just one point behind them with the same number of games played.

Dylan Strome scored just 2:05 before Ovechkin’s goal to put the Capitals up 1-0 late in the second period. Ovechkin and Strome rank first and second on the Capitals with 30 and 27 goals this season, respectively.

After fighting through an uncharacteristic scoring slump during the first half of the 2023-24 season, Ovechkin has kicked into an entirely new gear over the back nine. The veteran winger now has 22 goals over his last 32 games after scoring just eight times in his first 43 games of the year.

The Capitals originally selected Ovechkin with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft. The Moscow, Russia product made an immediate impact in the NHL, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie after scoring 52 goals in the 2005-06 season. He won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018 and has three times been awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player.

Ovechkin is widely regarded as the greatest goal-scorer in NHL history. In addition to his 18 30-goal seasons, Ovechkin has reached the 50-goal mark nine times and is also a nine-time recipient of the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. He is one of only three players in NHL history to score more than 800 goals.

Through 1,422 career games over 19 seasons with the Capitals, Ovechkin has collected 852 goals and 1,548 points. He’s added 72 goals and 141 points in 147 playoff contests and wonn the Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL playoff MVP in 2018.