As the final seconds of regulation ticked away, Alex Ovechkin rifled a shot from center ice. The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers had already pulled their goalie, so the only obstacle standing between The Great 8 and the back of the net was the clock. Once Ovechkin sank the shot and the game officials reviewed the play, it was determined Washington’s captain had scored his 878th career goal with 0.1 seconds left on the clock as the Capitals defeated the Panthers, 6-3.
Ovechkin is now just 17 goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal scoring record of 894. With 29 regular games remaining on Washington’s schedule, the 39-year-old has a chance to claim a record that once appeared to be untouchable this season.
In a battle between the two division leaders in the Eastern Conference, Andrew Mangiapane, Tom Wilson, Lars Eller and Nic Dowd scored on two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Aliaksei Protas and Ovechkin each scored an empty netter to clinch the victory. Capitals netminder Logan Thompson, who should be considered a Vezina Trophy contender this season, stopped 31 of the 34 shots to keep Washington from losing a third consecutive game.
Two moments stood out for Washington. Although they started slowly, the Caps sprung to life courtesy of a shorthanded goal by Wilson, which he converted on a two-on-one breakaway setup by Protas. Early in the third period, Eller outmaneuvered defenseman Dmitry Kulikov and roofed a backhand shot over Bobrovsky for his ninth goal of the season which snapped a 10-game scoring drought.
While the Caps failed to score on their three powerplay opportunities, Dowd’s eventual game winner came on a delayed penalty call against Florida. The Panthers snapped a three-game winning streak despite goals from Sam Bennett, Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Bobrovsky recorded 21 saves in the loss.
