Ovechkin Ties Gretzky with 894th Goal as Capitals Down Blackhawks 5-3
Alex Ovechkin etched his name into the NHL history books on Friday night, scoring twice to tie Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 career goals and lead the Washington Capitals to a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
With Gretzky and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in attendance at Capital One Arena, Ovechkin delivered the milestone moment on a power play at 6:13 of the third period. His signature strike from the left faceoff circle gave Washington a 4-3 lead and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Ovechkin’s first goal came off a setup from Dylan Strome, who also scored earlier in the game. Martin Fehervary and Ryan Leonard — who scored his first NHL goal — also found the net for Washington, while John Carlson recorded three assists, matching his season high. Charlie Lindgren made 19 saves in the win.
For Chicago, Frank Nazar had a goal and an assist, while Philipp Kurashev and Tyler Bertuzzi added goals. Rookies Oliver Moore and Landon Slaggert each collected two assists, but the Blackhawks dropped their fifth straight game despite 25 saves from Spencer Knight.
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Red Wings Keep Playoff Hopes Alive with 5-3 Win Over Hurricanes
Alex DeBrincat scored and added an assist to pace the Detroit Red Wings to a much-needed 5-3 win over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes.
Detroit, which had lost six straight games to Carolina, also got goals from Ben Chiarot, Marco Kasper, Patrick Kane, and Michael Rasmussen. Dylan Larkin chipped in two assists, and Cam Talbot made 30 saves to help close the gap in the Eastern Conference wild-card race.
Carolina, one of the hottest teams in the NHL recently, got goals from Jackson Blake, Eric Robinson, and Brent Burns. Jaccob Slavin contributed two assists, while Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 16 shots in just the Hurricanes’ third loss in their past 15 games.
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Dobson Leads Islanders Past Wild to Snap Skid
Noah Dobson recorded a goal and an assist as the New York Islanders halted a six-game skid with a 3-1 win over the visiting Minnesota Wild.
Casey Cizikas and Simon Holmstrom also scored for New York, which rebounded after going winless in its previous six contests (0-4-2). Ilya Sorokin was sharp between the pipes, making 27 saves.
Mats Zuccarello scored the lone goal for Minnesota, while Filip Gustavsson turned away 24 shots in net. The Wild have now dropped four straight games (0-2-2) as their playoff chances continue to fade.
