Research shows bystanders are less likely to give life-saving CPR to certain groups of people in D.C., but some local doctors and D.C. sports teams joined together in the hopes of changing that — and tackling misconceptions about CPR along the way.

“This can happen to a football player, it can happen to your father,” Dr. Miriam Fischer said.

No matter who it happens to, experts say CPR can drastically improve a person’s chance of survival when given in the first few moments of a medical emergency.

A study published in 2022 states that women, as well as Black and Hispanic adults, are less likely to receive CPR from bystanders if they have a cardiac arrest in public in D.C.

“In 2021 alone, 92 out of every 100,000 Americans had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. On average, only 40% received bystander CPR and in D.C., we’re even lower than the national average,” Fischer said.

That’s why emergency physicians with MedStar Health made a series of short videos with players and staff from the Wizards, Capitals, Mystics and Georgetown Women’s Soccer to teach D.C.-area residents about the importance of bystander CPR.

“Our practice facility and our arena, our game day arena, are in Ward 8 of the city, which is in Southeast D.C. and, you know, we come face-to-face every day with disparities, right, in the community. So, knowing that Black and brown people and women are least likely to receive CPR from a bystander, should they need it, is kind of a startling statistic,” said Dr. Kala Flagg, the head of athlete rehabilitation for the Washington Mystics.

The three-minute videos will play during games and on the teams’ social media accounts.

Fischer said the videos not only teach the basics of CPR and how to use a defibrillator, but also clear up some misconceptions that keep people from jumping into action.

“You don’t need to be certified. You do not need to do mouth-to-mouth. Most cardiac arrests are from a heart problem. When help arrives, they can deal with breathing. Additionally, you cannot get in trouble for doing CPR. There are good Samaritan laws that protect you, and, finally, you can’t hurt somebody. Their heart has stopped,” she said.

Go here to watch the CPR videos.

The team announced the move Tuesday, bringing Carbery back into the fold after he spent the past two seasons as an assistant for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Before that, Carbery was considered the heir apparent to veteran Capitals coach Peter Laviolette because of his time with Washington’s top minor league affiliate. Carbery coached the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears for three seasons from 2018-21 before getting his first NHL job on Sheldon Keefe’s staff with Toronto.

“Spencer is one of the best young coaches in the game who’s had success at every level at which he has coached,” general manager Brian MacLellan said in a statement. “We feel his leadership, communication skills, ability to develop players and familiarity with our organization will be a tremendous asset as he makes this next step in his coaching career.”

Carbery, 41, went from a Capitals home-grown prospect who began with their ECHL team in South Carolina to one of the most intriguing coaching candidates in hockey. He interviewed with the San Jose Sharks for their vacancy last year and multiple others this spring.

The Capitals got him back in the role they envisioned for him before a rival team could scoop him up. They chose Carbery from a pool of candidates that also included former captain-turned-Tampa Bay assistant Jeff Halpern, Philadelphia associate coach Brad Shaw and others with more experience.

“I would like to thank the Capitals organization for affording me the opportunity to lead this team,” Carbery said. “I look forward to working with this group of talented players and building upon the winning culture in place. I would also like to thank the Toronto Maple Leafs organization for all their support over the past two years.”

Carbery will be tasked with trying to get Washington back into the playoffs after the end of the organization’s eight-year streak. He takes over an aging team still headlined by Alex Ovechkin, who was playoff MVP in 2018 during the first Stanley Cup run in franchise history and is now chasing Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record.

Ovechkin is 73 away from breaking the record, and from owner Ted Leonsis down to general manager Brian MacLellan, the goal is to continue contending for as long as the Russian star is under contract. Ovechkin is signed for three more seasons, making that the most likely window before the start of a rebuilding process.

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“We are grateful for Peter’s leadership and dedication to our organization for the last three seasons,” MacLellan said in a news release. “Peter is a first-class individual who has represented our club with integrity and guided our team through many difficult circumstances in his tenure as our head coach. We wish him all the best moving forward.”

Laviolette’s contract expires June 30.

He led the team to a 115-78-27 record from 2020-2023. The Caps went 35-37-10 to finish 13^th in the Eastern Conference this season.

Laviolette coached the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006 and took the Philadelphia Flyers to the final in 2010 and the Nashville Predators in 2017. 

How to watch Capitals vs. Islanders originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Coming off a heartbreaking loss at home to the Florida Panthers, the Capitals are back in action on Monday at Capital One Arena against the New York Islanders. The Capitals have been eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons but could play spoiler to the Islanders who are looking to hold on in the Eastern Conference Wild Card standings.

The Capitals have taken two of three meetings from the Islanders so far this season and will look to wrap up this season series with another win at home come Monday night.

Here’s everything you need to know before puck drop.

CAPITALS VS. ISLANDERS HOW TO WATCH

What: Washington Capitals vs. New York Islanders

Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

When: Monday, April 10, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. ET

TV Channel: Capitals vs. Islanders will be broadcast on NBCS Washington. Find your channel here.

Live Stream: You can live stream Capitals vs. Islanders on NBC Sports Washington’s live stream page and on the NBC Sports App.

CAPITALS VS. ISLANDERS TV SCHEDULE

6:30 PM: Capitals Pregame Live

7:00 PM: Capitals vs. Islanders (LIVE)

9:30 PM: Capitals Postgame Live

CAPITALS VS. ISLANDERS WHAT TO WATCH

From NBC Sports Washington’s Ethan Cadeaux

“Unfortunately for Washington, it wasn’t enough to knock off the Florida Panthers. Matthew Tkachuk sniped one past Charlie Lindgren with exactly one minute remaining in the third period, to give the opposition a go-ahead goal in a 4-2 Florida victory. It was a huge two points to keep pace with the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders in the Wild Card race…” Read more.

CAPITALS VS. ISLANDERS PLAYERS TO WATCH

Capitals: Alex Ovechkin (72 games, 42 goals, 32 assists): Alex Ovechkin has remained one of the NHL’s elite goal scorers, as he continues to lead the way for the Capitals. Ovi missed the last game due to an upper-body injury and it’s possible with the Capitals eliminated from playoff contention that the team could continue to rest him. If the Capitals want to see their six-game losing streak come to an end they will really need their top goal scorer out on the ice.

Islanders: Brock Nelson, C (79 games, 33 goals, 39 assists): The Islanders’ team leader in goals and points once again, Brock Nelson has had another career year for New York. With the center signed through 2024-25, New York has to be thrilled with his numbers this year. The Capitals’ defense will have to keep close tabs on the 6’4 center.

Michael and Christian Warren used their backgrounds in fashion and art to create A Life Well Dressed (ALWD.) Their apparel company includes the DC Proper brand, which makes Washington Commanders, Wizards and Capitals gear.

“We created a company together, A Life Well Dressed company, that we pretty much sold and activated at local pop-up shops,” Christian Warren said.

One of the couple’s first designs to gain attention was a Commanders varsity jacket. 

“We wanted to highlight the D.C. in the brand colors and then we have the 90th edition patch celebrating all of that. And then, DC Proper with the W,” Michael Warren said while showing the jacket. “Washington DC Proper is how we’re trying to tell that story.” 

The jacket quickly became a huge hit. 

“We’re just honored that people saw it and they loved it. This has been like one of the most desired jackets in franchise history,” Michael Warren said. 

The Warrens’ success didn’t happen overnight.   

“When COVID-19 happened, everything was at a complete halt,” Christian Warren said. 

The couple lost everything and to survive, they sold their house, furniture and moved in with family in California. Christian is originally from Compton, California, and Michael is from Southeast D.C. 

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“We focused on what we did have and not on what we didn’t have, and what we did have was our creativity, our hearts, our family,” Christian Warren said. 

Despite the challenges, they kept designing, pushing and making connections until their perseverance paid off. Eventually, they were selected as one of the Black-owned businesses to open a retail shop inside the BWI Marshall Airport.    

“It’s just so special because it’s not like our product is even in a traditional space, like we’re in an international airport selling brands that we created together,” Christian Warren said. 

At about the same time, they got a deal to design a capsule collection for the Washington Wizards.  

“When we created DC Proper, I wanted to partner with the Wizards. I wanted to partner with the Commanders. I wanted to partner with the hockey team, and tell these stories because we’re all fans, we all believe in these teams,” Michael Warren said. 

One year later, they partnered with the Washington Capitals, who wore the gear to the outdoor stadium series in North Carolina.

“It’s just, it’s a humbling experience, it’s always humbling because I’ve always done this since I was like a kid. Like, I used to draw on fabric paint, you know, and put my name on T-shirts and things from like junior high school in Southeast D.C.,” Michael Warren said. 

Now, their brands are going global, and they recently opened a second retail shop at Reagan National Airport. 

“It’s super exciting because people get a chance to experience what we believe in. Experience through fashion, what Baltimore Soul is, what A Life Well Lived is, what DC Proper is and what it means, and what it feels like,” Michael Warren said. “And so, they can take that, and they can take it wherever they can take it globally, and that’s what’s so exciting that it provides us the global exposure to expose people to local culture.”

The Warrens’ designs have been sold at Nordstrom, Foot Locker and D.C. team stores. Next, they are working with HBCUs and hope to work with the Nationals and Baltimore sports teams. 

How to watch Capitals vs. Lightning originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Washington Capitals dropped a closely-contested defensive affair to the New York Islanders on Wednesday, gaining just a point with a 1-1 shootout loss. Right away Washington will have to look to shake off the loss with the second leg of a back-to-back coming against the Tampa Bay Lightning down in the sunshine state.

The Capitals enter the contest five points out of the final Wild Card spot in the East with just seven games to go. Essentially from here on out, every game is a must-win. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, has been coasting to what will presumably be third place in the Metropolitan Division. They’ve yet to clinch a playoff spot as the Islanders could eventually leapfrog them by season’s end to avoid playing as a Wild Card team. 

These two teams last met back in November, playing two games. Each team won their home game by a sizable margin. 

Here’s everything you need to know before puck drop.

CAPITALS VS. LIGHTNING HOW TO WATCH

What: Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida

When: Thursday, March 30, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. ET

TV Channel: Capitals vs. Lightning will be broadcast on NBCSW

Live Stream: You can stream Capitals vs. Lightning on NBC Sports Washington’s live stream player and the NBC Sports App.

CAPITALS VS. LIGHTNING TV SCHEDULE

6:30 PM: Capitals Pregame Live (LIVE)

7:00 PM: Capitals vs. Lightning (LIVE)

9:30 PM: Capitals Postgame Live (LIVE)

CAPITALS VS. LIGHTNING WHAT TO WATCH

From NBC Sports Washington’s Matt Weyrich:

While the game results haven’t thrust the Capitals back into a playoff spot, they have afforded them the chance to see what their blue line for next season might look like. In each of the last three games since John Carlson returned from his skull injury, Washington has played all six of its defensemen who are either signed through next season or set to be a restricted free agent this summer… Read More

CAPITALS VS. LIGHTNING PLAYERS TO WATCH

Capitals: Dylan Strome, C (74 games, 18 goals, 39 assists): Strome has found his home in a Washington Capitals jersey, putting together his most impressive season of his career. Playing on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and TOm Wilson has afforded him ample opportunity to find the stat sheet.

Lightning: Nikita Kucherov, RW (75 games, 28 goals, 76 assists): Third in the NHL in points, Kucherov has reached the 100-point plateau for the first time since prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Now finally healthy, Kucherov leads a talent-heavy Lightning squad back to the playoffs.

How to watch Capitals vs. Devils originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Washington Capitals split a four game road trip, finishing off in Los Angeles with a 4-2 loss to the Kings. The Capitals return home to face New Jersey for the third of four meetings with the Devils this season. The season series so far is split at a game a piece.

Washington will look to get back into the win column, in order to keep their playoff hopes alive as the regular season is winding down. The Capitals will have their hands full against a tough Devils team that has won four of their last five games.

Here’s everything you need to know about Monday’s game:

CAPITALS VS. DEVILS HOW TO WATCH

What: Washington Capitals vs. New Jersey Devils

Where: Capital One Area, Washington, D.C.

When: Thursday, March 09, 2023, at 7:00 p.m.

TV Channel: Capitals vs. Devils will be broadcast on NBC Sports Washington (NBC Sports channel finder)

Live Stream: You can stream Capitals at Devils on NBC Sports Washington’s live stream page and on the NBC Sports app.

CAPITALS VS. DEVILS TV SCHEDULE

6:30 PM: Capitals Pregame Live (NBCSW)

7:00 PM: Capitals vs. Devils (LIVE)

9:30 PM: Capitals Postgame Live (NBCSW)

CAPITALS VS. DEVILS WHAT TO WATCH

From NBCSW’s Matt Weyrich: 

“The Capitals were lucky to get through the first intermission without a goal on the board. Kuemper faced an onslaught of offense during 20 minutes of downhill hockey for the Kings. Los Angeles outshot Washington 19-3 in the frame as the Capitals struggled to settle into the offensive zone without a Kings skater punching the puck back to neutral ice. Possession evened out in the second, but it wasn’t until the 11:39 mark that someone finally broke the scoreless tie. Doing the honors was Capitals’ trade deadline acquisition Sandin. After recording three assists in his first game with the team Saturday, Sandin once again contributed on the scoreboard by scooting a shoot past Kings netminder Pheonix Copley for the lead…” Read more.

CAPITALS VS. DEVILS PLAYERS TO WATCH

Alex Ovechkin, Capitals, LW (36 goals, 25 assists, 61 points in 60 games): Alex Ovechkin is a must-watch every time the Capitals take the ice. Ovechkin will look to continue moving up the all-time goals list in New Jersey on Thursday.

Jack Hughes, Devils, C (36 goals, 40 assists, 76 points in 58 games): Jack Hughes has been the Devils go to scorer this season, leading the team in both goals and points. The Devils center will look to continue his strong play in D.C. on Thursday.

Caps collaborate with designer for Black History warmup jerseys originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Washington Capitals have announced a number of initiatives for their upcoming Black History Day Celebration at Capital One Arena this Saturday, including special themed warmup jerseys designed by award-winning illustrator Robert Generette III, also known as Zilla.

Washington will wear the black, red and gold warmup jerseys prior to puck drop vs. the New York Rangers on Saturday. The jerseys will then be auctioned off to benefit the Capital Impact Fund “to provide grants to organizations that can assist in eliminating cost barriers faced by individuals of color in the hockey community,” read a team press release.

Each facet of the jersey is deliberate in its message. The large red ‘W’ includes 11 lines – one for each of the 11 Black alumni in Capitals history – transitioning upward from thick to thin “in the hopes that the number of Black players will continue to increase.” The Gold accent is an homage to Fort Dupont Hockey, a local team dedicated to advancing the game in minority communities. 

“I was scared at first,” Generette said in an interview regarding designing the jerseys. “I never designed anything as far as apparel was concerned, so my thoughts going into it is like, ‘How do I translate what I do as far as illustration is concerned on apparel?’” 

In addition to the special warmup jerseys, Saturday’s celebration will also include an appearance from former Capital fan favorite Devante Smith-Pelly. ‘DSP,’ a Washington alum of two seasons and former Stanley Cup Champion in D.C., will take part in the ceremonial puck drop.

Smith-Pelly, Generette, and film producer Kwame Mason were all invited to Washington’s locker room on Friday to discuss the importance of celebrating Black History and the significance of Saturday’s event. The Caps also collaborated with musical artist Saukrates on an original song “dedicated to honoring the 11 Black alumni in Capitals history.”

Fans can find out more about Saturday’s Black History Celebration on the team’s website. They can also bid on everything from game-used sticks to signed warmup jerseys on the team’s BHM silent auction site.

Saturday’s game starts at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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Ovechkin delivered the news Wednesday on social media along with family photos and video.

“Today my father passed away,” Ovechkin posted in Russian on his Instagram account. “I thank everyone for their support but ask that you be understanding and not disturb my family at such a hard time for us! Thank you.”

Ovechkin left the Capitals on Tuesday to tend to what the team called a family health matter regarding a loved one. Coach Peter Laviolette said he expected Ovechkin to be gone for at least the rest of the week and away for the foreseeable future.

“Life is tough,” Laviolette said. “When it comes to your family and parents, that’s what matters. He’s going to deal with some things right now, and we’re going to be supportive.”

Ovechkin’s father had not been in Washington in recent years while dealing with health issues at home in Moscow. Before that, Mikhail was a familiar face at the Capitals’ practice facility and at games watching his son.

“Mr. Ovechkin was a true gentleman and was such a significant and consistent presence at Capitals games and practices,” the team said in a statement. “With a constant smile on his face, he loved interacting with our fans and expressing his gratitude for their support of his son, of whom he was incredibly proud.

“Our organization’s thoughts are with the Ovechkin family at this difficult time.”

Mikhail Ovechkin, father of Caps’ Alex Ovechkin, dies at 71 originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

ARLINGTON, Va. — Alex Ovechkin’s father, Mikhail, died Wednesday at 71 years old, the Capitals forward announced in an Instagram post. Ovechkin took a leave of absence Tuesday to be with his family.

“Today I lost my father,” Ovechkin wrote in Russian. “I thank everyone for the support but please be understanding and do not disturb my family in this difficult time for us! Thank you.”

Ovechkin’s father lived in the family’s home country and had not traveled to the U.S. for several years due to his health. He did, however, meet many of his son’s Capitals teammates including center Nicklas Backstrom, who has played with Ovechkin since 2007.

“It’s very tough, obviously, because he’s been around a lot…and I’ve been hanging out with Alex since I got here,” Backstrom said at practice Wednesday. “He was here, we were hanging out a lot with his dad. We always brought him around to basketball games, stuff like that. I can’t believe it. It’s just so sad and I feel for the whole Ovechkin family and yeah it’s a tough day.”

The Capitals made practice optional for players Wednesday and released a statement sharing their support for their captain and his family.

“The Washington Capitals organization is saddened to hear of the passing of our captain Alex Ovechkin’s father, Mr. Mikhail Ovechkin. Mr. Ovechkin was a true gentleman and was such a significant and consistent presence at Capitals games and practices. With a constant smile on his face, he loved interacting with our fans and expressing his gratitude for their support of his son, of whom he was incredibly proud. Our organization’s thoughts are with the Ovechkin family at this difficult time.”

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The team announced the contract Friday during NHL All-Star Weekend, which is taking place in South Florida — the place Strome was drafted third in 2015.

Strome will count $5 million against the salary cap through the 2027-28 season. He was set to be a restricted free agent this summer.

“Dylan is an intelligent and skilled center and has been a great addition to our organization,” general manager Brian MacLellan said. “We are pleased to sign him to a long-term contract. We feel his skill set is a great fit for our team as he enters the prime years of his career at an important position.”

Strome is getting a raise from the $3.5 million deal he signed with the Capitals after the Chicago Blackhawks opted not to tender him a qualifying offer and made him a free agent. Strome has 11 goals and 25 assists in 36 games this season and ranks third on Washington’s roster with 14 power-play points.

The Mississauga, Ontario, native who played his junior hockey alongside Connor McDavid with the Erie Otters has 206 points in 325 regular-season NHL games with the Arizona Coyotes, Blackhawks and Capitals.

“So well-deserved,” McDavid told The Associated Press after the All-Star skills competition. “A guy that has worked his way into a really good contract and into a good role on a good team. Happy for him.”

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Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

‘It’s a miracle’: Alex Ovechkin emotional after passing Gordie Howe originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

WASHINGTON — Locked into a tie with Gordie Howe for the second-most goals in NHL history, Alex Ovechkin tried to pass up the chance at a free goal.

The Winnipeg Jets pulled their goaltender down 3-1 with 2:53 to play and lost the puck a few minutes later. Ovechkin wound up with it at the point, getting a clean look at the net. And he passed it. Evgeny Kuznetsov would have none of that, however, sending it right back to set up his teammate for the most historic goal of his career: No. 802.

“You never thought it’s going to happen when you came into the league, you’re going to beat any Gordie Howe record or Wayne Gretzky record or any record,” Ovechkin said after the game. “You felt like, OK, maybe you’re going to play in the NHL, you’re going to be good and you’re going to try to do your best, but the whole situation happening right now, it’s a miracle. You know, it’s pretty special.”

For five games, the entire hockey world stopped and held its breath each time Ovechkin approached the net. He went scoreless during a three-game homestand and then again on Thursday in Ottawa. No one wanted to be on the wrong side of history. But eventually, Ovechkin was going to break through.

With a rowdy crowd of Capitals fans watching on, Ovechkin scored two goals Friday to move past Howe on the all-time goals list. Wayne Gretzky is the only player left in front of him, holding the NHL’s most prestigious record with 894 career goals. The 37-year-old sat down for his postgame press conference with his sons Sergei and Ilya holding the two pucks.

“Very emotional,” Ovechkin said of passing Howe. “My parents watched it from home. My wife is here, kids here, friends. Doing it with the home crowd, it’s special. They give me full support, and this is pretty big. It’s a historic moment. It’s nice to be in this category of players. It’s pretty cool.”

Though there was still a minute left to be played in the contest, the entire arena paused to recognize Ovechkin for his historic feat. The Capitals played a video on the Jumbotron showing the late Howe’s son Mark congratulating him and wishing him luck in his quest to catch Gretzky.

“I’m here on behalf of Gordie Howe, the guy you just passed, and from mother Colleen and the entire Howe family, we just want to congratulate on what a fantastic achievement,” Howe said. “I’ve had the opportunity to watch you play so many games as a scout and you’ve been a pleasure to watch.

“You’re one of very few people in this game to me that they bring a wow factor. You embrace the fans. You’re everything that my mother and father would be very proud of and I know if they were here today, they would be at this hockey game. They’d be the first ones to congratulate you. So, on behalf of the Howe family, we want to say congratulations and a job well done and now it’s time to set new goals for No. 99. Congratulations.”

The Jets recognized the magnitude of the achievement as well. They lined up after the final horn to shake Ovechkin’s hand, something typically not seen in hockey until the playoffs.

Head coach Peter Laviolette noted after the game that Ovechkin seems to set some kind of record every night. Just on Thursday, he set a new record for the most shots on goal. Yet this one was different. No. 802 launched Ovechkin into a new tier of hockey royalty.

“I don’t want to say once in a lifetime, but moments like that in hockey rarely come up and you pause the game to honor somebody for such a special achievement,” Laviolette said. “What he has been able to accomplish here in Washington is truly unbelievable. He got an opportunity on a night like tonight to just again pause the game and take a moment and just honor that moment of what happened is pretty special.”

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Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin NHL All-Time Goals tracker originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

There’s a new No. 2 on the NHL’s all-time goals list.

Alex Ovechkin surpassed Gordie Howe for second place with career goal Nos. 801 and 802 in the Washington Capitals’ 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.

Ovechkin, who hadn’t scored in his previous four games, first pulled into a tie with Howe on a goal inside the first two minutes at Capital One Arena. Then, with just one minute remaining in regulation, he took over sole possession of second from the Detroit Red Wings legend on an empty-netter.

Ovechkin, who entered the 2022-2023 season having scored 780 over his 17 seasons, now has just one more legend to catch in Wayne Gretzky. The Capitals captain is fewer than 100 goals away from breaking Gretzky’s once-believed-to-be unbreakable scoring record of 894 goals. 

As Ovechkin chases history, here’s a look at each of his goals this season…

801, 802 — A two-goal effort to surpass Howe…

798, 799, 800 — Ovechkin became just the third player in NHL history to reach the 800-goal milestone with a hat trick in the Caps’ 7-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 13

797 — Ovechkin scored in his third straight game with an empty net goal in the Capitals’ 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets.

796 — Ovechkin scored his 796th goal during the third period in a matchup against the Seattle Kraken, which took place on Dec. 9 and resulted in a 4-1 win.

794, 795 — The star scored two empty net goals during a matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 7.

792, 793 — Ovechkin scored his next two goals in the first period of a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

791 — A goal against the Calgary Flames added to Ovechkin’s total after he was by assisted by Conor Sheary and Sonny Milano in the third period.

790 — The legend scored his 790th goal in overtime against the Philadelphia Flyers after being assisted by Dylan Strome and Erik Gustafsson.

How many goals does Alex Ovechkin have?

With 802 career goals, Ovechkin has recorded nine 50-goal seasons, matching the record shared by Gretzky and New York Islanders legend Mike Bossy. 

Last season, Ovechkin became the oldest player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season.

He also tied Gretzky’s record with his 12th 40-goal season.

How many goals does Alex Ovechkin need to pass Wayne Gretzky?

The Great 8 needs 93 goals to break The Great One’s record, which has stood since 1999. 

Gretzky passed Howe during his 15th season in 1994 with the 802nd goal of his career and finished his career in 1999 with 894.

If Ovechkin remains healthy and continues to score at his typical rate, he could surpass Gretzky perhaps as early as the end of the 2023-2024 season. 

When did Alex Ovechkin score his first goal?

Ovechkin, who was the first pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, wasted little time finding the back of the net. 

He scored two goals during the second period of his first NHL game in the Capitals’ 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 5, 2005. He finished the season with 52 goals and 54 assists. It was the third-most goals scored by a rookie, trailing Teemu Selanne (76) and Mike Bossy (53). 

What are the most goals Alex Ovechkin has scored in a season? 

Ovechkin had a career-best 65 goals in his third season, the only time he has reached the 60-goal milestone in a single season. Many had done it before him, with 23 other 65-plus goal seasons having been recorded in NHL history. 

The record for most goals in one season? You guessed it, Wayne Gretzky, who scored 92 goals during the 1981-1982 season. Only three players have reached the 80-goal plateau: Gretzky, who also did so in 1983-1984 with 87 goals; Brett Hull, who had 86 goals in 1990-1991; and Mario Lemieux, with 85 goals in 1988-1989.  

Who is the NHL’s all-time leading scorer?

Here’s a look at the NHL’s top 25 goal scorers of all time:

1. Wayne Gretzky: 894

2. Alex Ovechkin: 802

3. Gordie Howe: 801

4. Jaromir Jagr: 766

5. Brett Hull: 741

6. Marcel Dionne: 731

7. Phil Esposito: 717

8. Mike Gartner: 708

9. Mark Messier: 694

10. Steve Yzerman: 692

11. Mario Lemieux: 690

12. Teemu Selanne: 684

13. Luc Robitaille: 668

14. Brendan Shanahan: 656

15. Dave Andreychuk: 640

T-16. Joe Sakic: 625

T-16. Jarome Iginla: 625

18. Bobby Hull: 610

19. Dino Ciccarelli: 608

20. Jari Kurri: 601

21. Mark Recchi: 577

22. Mike Bossy: 573

23. Patrick Marleau: 566

T-24. Joe Nieuwendyk: 564

T-24. Mats Sundin: 564

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With a no-look empty-net goal, Ovechkin made more history and moved another step closer to breaking one of hockey’s most hallowed records.

Ovechkin scored goals 801 and 802 Friday night to move into second place on the NHL career list. After beating Winnipeg Jets goaltender David Rittich in the first period to match Gordie Howe, Ovechkin almost reluctantly scored from just inside the blue line with a minute left to pass “Mr. Hockey.”

Only Wayne Gretzky with 894 has scored more, and Ovechkin is now 93 goals from breaking a record that has long seemed unapproachable.

“Step by step, guys,” Ovechkin said after posing with sons Sergei and Ilya and the milestone pucks. “Still a long way.”

While it will take at least a couple more years to see if it’s possible for Ovechkin to challenge Gretzky, moving past Howe warranted plenty of celebration. Fans chanted, “Ovi! Ovi! Ovi!” throughout Washington’s 4-1 win, never louder than after he hit the empty net.

Teammates did the same in the locker room during a closed-door celebration, which followed Jets players lining up to shake Ovechkin’s hand at center ice.

“I think it’s just to show respect, and it’s history for them as well,” Ovechkin said. “The game is the game, but as soon as the whistle blows, it’s all about hockey. We respect each other.”

Ovechkin hit the post on his first shot at the empty net and passed up another attempt by giving the puck to countryman Evgeny Kuznetsov — and getting it back. Even if he didn’t want to make history this way, Washington’s longtime captain was going to do what it took to ice his team’s fourth consecutive victory.

“It’s the kind of situation where if you have a chance to take it, you take it,” Ovechkin said. “I give it to Kuzy and he’s like, ‘I don’t want to take it.’ But after that, it’s special.”

Teammates leapt off the bench in celebration and the arena goal counter flipped to 802. A video tribute from Howe’s son Mark followed.

“On behalf of Gordie Howe, the guy you just passed, and from (my) mother Colleen and the entire Howe family, we just want to congratulate on what a fantastic achievement,” Mark Howe said in representing his father, who died in 2016 at age 88. “You’ve been a pleasure to watch.”

Ovechkin made the hockey community watch him chase Howe for more than a week after recording a hat trick to become just the third player with 800 goals. He endured a four-game goal drought before breaking through Friday.

“After the hat trick to get 800, it took a little while to get 801 and 802,” said center Dylan Strome, who assisted on Ovechkin’s first goal of the game. “To see the puck go in was just relief, I’m sure, from everyone.”

Ovechkin after tying Howe did not look satisfied with stopping at 801. He got a breakaway early in the second period and was denied this time by Rittich — the 166th different goaltender he has scored on — and had a few other chances as the game progressed.

With the Capitals leading 3-1 late and Rittich pulled for an extra attacker, fans chanted for Ovechkin to get onto the ice. He and coach Peter Laviolette had discussed not forcing the situation, but when it was Ovechkin’s turn, he didn’t miss his opportunity.

“There is something good about what he does offensively when the goalie is out of the net, as well,” Laviolette said. “We didn’t change anything and it is a pretty special moment, pretty special night.”

It made it more special for Ovechkin to have wife Nastya and his sons in attendance. Minutes after 4-year-old Sergei and 2-year-old Ilya sat on his lap in the locker room, Ovechkin also beamed knowing his parents were watching from their home in Moscow.

“Very emotional,” Ovechkin said. “Doing it with the home crowd, it’s special. They give me full support, and this is pretty big. It’s a historic moment. It’s nice to be in this category of players. It’s pretty cool.”

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Gordie Howe is next, and Wayne Gretzky is coming up very quickly.

Ovechkin scored three times to become the third NHL player with 800 career goals, and the streaking Capitals beat the lowly Chicago Blackhawks 7-3 on Tuesday night.

“It’s a big number,” Ovechkin said. “It’s the best company (you can) ever imagine since you started playing hockey.”

Ovechkin moved within one goal of Howe for second all-time. Gretzky has the record with 894 goals, but the 37-year-old Ovechkin is showing no signs of slowing down.

“I think once he’s going to be No. 1 he can have a sense of relief,” said Anthony Mantha, who had the primary assist on Ovechkin’s 800th goal. “Until then, I think he’s on the hunt, and that’s what we love about him.”

Mantha, Nic Dowd, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Dmitry Orlov also scored for Washington. Conor Sheary had two assists, and Charlie Lindgren made 26 stops.

The Capitals went 6-2-1 during a nine-game stretch that included only one home date. They play seven of their next nine at home, beginning Thursday night against Dallas.

“Now we just have to have a strong push before Christmas and then get the three days off,” forward Evgeny Kuznetsov said.

Chicago dropped to 1-11-1 in its last 13 games. It has scored just four goals during a four-game slide.

“I thought we battled back, but it’s Ovechkin,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said. “There were a couple of unfortunate bounces, and he makes you pay on those.”

Ovechkin scored on his first two shots, beating Petr Mrazek 24 seconds into the game before stuffing one home on a power play with 11:46 left in the first period. The winger then completed his 29th career hat trick when he knocked Mantha’s pass over a sprawled Mrazek 6:34 into the third.

The rest of the Capitals jumped off the bench to celebrate after the milestone goal, and hats rained down on the ice from the crowd of 16,181 at the United Center. Fans then chanted “Ovi! Ovi!” — drawing a wave from Ovechkin.

“The fans here in Chicago were terrific, the way that they saluted him,” Washington coach Peter Laviolette said. “For him to get a hat trick on the road to get to 800 was just a special night.”

Ovechkin has seven goals in his last four games and a team-high 20 on the season. His previous four goals were all empty-netters.

“It’s mind blowing,” Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said. “How many guys can score goals at his rate in the season, let alone year after year after year? He’s one of a kind, for sure.”

Toews, Max Domi and Tyler Johnson scored for Chicago, and Mrazek finished with 23 saves.

It was Johnson’s first game since Oct. 25. He had been sidelined by a right ankle injury.

HE’S BACK

Washington forward Dylan Strome played his first game back in Chicago since he signed a $3.5 million, one-year contract with the Capitals in July. He was traded from Arizona to Chicago in November 2018 and scored a career-high 22 goals for the Blackhawks last season.

“It’s been really fun to play on this team,” Strome said. “There’s incredible guys. Good coaching staff. Top to bottom, I think it’s been a really, really easy transition for me.”

WORTH NOTING

Capitals center Lars Eller was scratched with an upper-body injury. He is day to day. … Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou missed the game because of a family funeral. … Chicago assigned defenseman Filip Roos to Rockford of the American Hockey League. … Capitals defenseman Erik Gustafsson returned to the lineup after he missed Sunday’s 5-2 win at Winnipeg with an upper-body injury.

UP NEXT

Capitals: Host the Stars on Thursday night.

Blackhawks: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.

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The team said Hagelin had an arthroscopic procedure Monday that is intended to address his chronically injured left hip.

Hagelin, 34, has not played since taking an errant stick to his left eye in practice March 1. He took part in some informal summer workouts at the team’s practice facility but was not on the ice for the start of training camp.

“I hope for a good recovery for Carl,” coach Peter Laviolette said following practice Tuesday. “He’s such a good guy and such an important part of the team. … He was one of our top penalty killers and so we’ll certainly miss him on the ice.”

The Capitals will open the season Wednesday without Hagelin, center Nicklas Backstrom and right winger Tom Wilson. Backstrom is also out indefinitely after hip surgery of his own, and Wilson is expected to miss at least the first month or two working back from a torn ACL in his left knee.

Aliaksei Protas is expected to fill one of those holes on opening night against the Boston Bruins. The big 21-year-old forward earned a spot on the roster with a standout training camp and preseason.

“I worked pretty much whole summer to make my dream come true,” said Protas, who’s expected to start at left wing on the second line with Dylan Strome in the middle and Anthony Mantha on the right. “I am close to it. Now I just need to work even more to prove I deserve to be here.”

Darcy Kuemper, signed to a $26.25 million, five-year contract to stabilize Washington’s goaltending situation as the starter, figures to get the nod against Boston, which opens without injured winger Brad Marchand and defenseman Charlie McAvoy. Kuemper is coming off backstopping the Colorado Avalanche to the Stanley Cup but will be busy making his Capitals debut while his old teammates are watching their championship banner be raised to the rafters.

“I won’t be thinking about that,” Kuemper said. “Not till after the game, for sure.”

Newly signed backup Charlie Lindgren could start Thursday at Toronto but Laviolette would not commit to his goalie for the Maple Leafs game. Former Capitals goalie Ilya Samsonov is set to start for the Leafs.

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The sound of a live organ player driving the crowd has been a constant at Caps home games since the team first hit the ice in 1974, and for the past 22 seasons, the man behind that organ has been Bruce Anderson

“To be able to play at the games and to, you know, have the fans cheer and chant and things like that – really like nothing else, no other experience you can imagine from a music standpoint,” he said.

Anderson got the gig after he sold the team a new organ in 1999.

The classically trained musician has been teaching music for more than 40 years. He’s disappointed about losing his night job but not bitter.

“I would have liked to have, you know, one more season at least,” he said.

In a written statement, the team announced, “Ahead of the 2022-23 season, we decided not to bring back the live portion of the organ. We are continuously finding ways to transform the in-game experience, including having professionally recorded organ songs and prompts. We thank Bruce for his contributions to the organization and wish him the very best.”

Fans like Arif Durrani, a lifelong Caps fan and a professional musician, hate to see Anderson go.

“He helps the crowd know what to do,” Durrani said. “You know, the Caps chant, ‘Let’s go Caps,’ or, just, I love that old-style organ music, the ballpark music, and I’m going to be sad the live portion of it is going to be gone. I guess they’ll still play recorded stuff, but it’s kind of cheating.”

“He’s actually an institution,” he added.

Anderson has a lot of memories over the past two decades.

“Certainly, winning the Stanley Cup was the No. 1 memory, I have to say, and I got a ring from that and got to march in the parade,” he said.

“Playing at the Winter Classic at the Nationals Park, which was the biggest crowd, I think 50,000 people, it was the biggest crowd I ever played for, you know, national TV and that kind of thing,” he said.

When the Caps take to the ice for their first home game without a live organist, Anderson will be wearing his championship ring and watching his team.

“I’ll be cheering them on,” he said.

Anderson was planning to keep working until Alex Ovechkin finished his career and then retire. He has no plans to stop teaching music and looks forward to catching a Caps game from the stands this season.

Caps sign goaltender Darcy Kuemper to five-year deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Capitals have found their new No. 1 goaltender as they’ve agreed to a deal with free agent Darcy Kuemper to a five-year, $26.25 million deal that will pay him an average of $5.25 million per season. 

Kuemper comes to the Capitals by way of the Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. With the Avalanche in a cap crunch, they elected to trade for Alexandar Georgiev from the Rangers as Kuemper moved on to free agency. 

General manager Brian MacLellan and the front office had been searching for a No. 1 goalie for months now, a netminder capable of making not just the big save, but the timely one. In Kuemper, they’re clearly hopeful he can make that type of impact in net. 

Last season for the Avalanche, his only season in Denver, Kuemper posted a .921 save percentage with a 2.54 goals against average. In 16 playoff starts, he posted a .902 save percentage and a 2.57 GAA.

Kuemper, 32, will have played for five NHL teams when he makes his first start for the Capitals in October. He previously spent time with the Wild, Coyotes, Kings before his year in Colorado. 

The Capitals recently moved on from both Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov, trading the former and opting to not qualify the latter. Vanecek is now in New Jersey and Samsonov is on his way to the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

In Kuemper’s last four seasons in the NHL, he’s posted save percentages of .921, .907, .928 and .925. No Capitals goaltender with at least five regular season games played has posted a .920 save percentage or better since Philipp Grubauer did so in the 2017-18 season with a .923 percentage. 

The Capitals will now look to add a second option in net to spell Kuemper. Organizationally, Pheonix Copley is a free agent to go along with Samsonov. Zach Fucale is the only goalie in the system with NHL experience. He, Clay Stevenson, Garin Bjorklund and Hunter Shepard are under contract for next season. 

With a No. 1 goaltender in the fold and a salary figure set, the Capitals can turn their attention to any needs at both forward and defense.

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Backstrom undergoes hip surgery with no timeline for return originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom underwent left hip resurfacing surgery on Friday, the team announced Saturday afternoon. He will begin a “lengthy” recovery process immediately. 

Per Cleveland Clinic, hip resurfacing is a form of hip replacement surgery and it “uses implants to ease hip pain and stiffness caused by osteoarthritis and other conditions. The implants take the place of damaged tissue and bone, allowing for more fluid movement.”

At the team’s breakdown day a month ago, Backstrom, 34, said there were decisions to be made about what was next in relation to the status of his chronic left hip injury. He later added that it would never be 100% again. 

Backstrom’s hip was surgically repaired in 2015 and he missed the beginning of the 2021-22 season while recovering. He returned to the Caps in December but struggled to regain his usual level of play, clearly ailed by the nagging injury. Teammates commended Backstrom throughout the season, commenting often on how much work he had to put in merely to get on the ice. 

In 47 regular season games, Backstrom scored 31 points and had 25 assists. Toward the end of the season, however, he took a handful of maintenance days to make the hip as manageable as possible to get on the ice.

“He’s a warrior,” longtime teammate Alex Ovechkin said on breakdown day in May. “He’s a tough man. I’m pretty sure he’s going to be better next year. Obviously, everybody knows what he means to the team, for the organization, for us. He’s a leader and I hope he’s going to be better.”

Backstrom’s injury will mean significant financial complications for Washington. He carries a $9.2 million hit on the salary cap for the next three seasons, the second-highest on the team behind Ovechkin’s $9.5 million cap hit and the 28th highest in the entire NHL. Without a timeline given for a return, the Capitals’ future for the 2022-23 season and beyond is now uncertain. 

In 15 NHL seasons, all in Washington, the franchise icon has played 1,058 games and scored 264 goals with 747 assists. In team history, Backstrom ranks second in games played, fourth in goals, first in assists and second in points. He is 91st on the NHL’s all-time scoring list with 1,011 career points.

D.C. sports teams collaborate on anti-gun violence initiative originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Following the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas last week, Washington D.C. sports teams have announced a collaborative effort to curb gun violence in the United States.

The Washington Capitals, Wizards and Mystics, along with the Washington Commanders, Nationals, Spirit and DC Shadow (ultimate frisbee) have donated a combined $85,000 to Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun violence prevention nonprofit, per a Nationals press release.

“Funds will support Everytown’s Community Safety Fund, providing a direct investment in community-based violence intervention, grassroots programs and advocacy operating in the region,” the release read. “Teams will also use their social media and other fan outreach platforms to encourage community members to learn more and to donate to the fund using give.nats4good.org/SafeDCNow.”

Friday, June 3 is National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Teams currently in season (the Nationals, Mystics, Spirit and Shadow) will utilize their individual platforms to raise gun violence awareness by way of inviting donations to safety funds, social media initiatives, special warm-up gear, and increased donations to nonprofits.

Members of those teams were vocal in statements after the shooting that killed 21 people. Mystics player Natasha Cloud called for people to reach out to their representatives and Nationals manager Davey Martinez said something needed to change with gun control.

Per the Washington Post, the United States has endured 233 mass shootings already in calendar year 2022, most recently in a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. To learn more, visit gunviolencearchive.org.

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Three big questions facing the Capitals this offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Capitals are faced with a summer that could bring more change than the organization has had in a long time. 

As for whether or not that will happen remains to be seen, but there are a bevy of questions currently facing the organization. 

Here are three key questions to consider as the calendar nears a flip to June: 

Who’s healthy?

The Capitals’ 2021-22 season was loaded with injuries, and the offseason will be no different as major injury questions are facing the team in the offseason. 

Notably, Nicklas Backstrom has a troubled left hip and it’s unclear what his future holds. He said at the team’s breakdown day that there were decisions to be made, and general manager Brian MacLellan added that it’s not possible to play another injury-filled season like the one he just played. Backstrom carries a cap hit of $9.2 million, and knowing whether or not he’ll have to miss some or all of the 2022-23 season will have a big impact on the team’s offseason plans. 

Then there’s Tom Wilson, who will be out six-to-eight months as he recovers from a torn left ACL. That timeline tentatively puts him on track for a return sometime from Thanksgiving to late January. But losing one of their most impactful forwards for what could be more than half of the season will be a major blow to a Capitals team that needs help at five-on-five. 

Finally, there’s Carl Hagelin, who is attempting to return to the ice after a serious eye injury that nearly cost him his eye. He carries one more year left on his deal with $2.75 million, and if he’s able to get medically cleared, the Capitals will have to account for Hagelin being available. 

With those three’s statuses either unknown or unavailable for months, MacLellan and the organization will have a mighty interesting offseason of maneuvering. 

What to do at goalie?

The Capitals appear ready to add a veteran goalie and keep one of their young netminders, Ilya Samsonov or Vitek Vanecek, as the two goalies entering next season. 

The question for both the former and latter remains, who? 

Both Vanecek and Samsonov are restricted free agents — Vanecek posted a save percentage of .908% while Samsonov posted a .896 during the regular season — so the team has a bit more leverage than they’d otherwise have. Still, the question of which one to keep, if that is indeed the plan, isn’t an easy one to answer.

Either way, it appears the Capitals are eager to add a veteran goalie if they can find one where the price, and perhaps the price to acquire, is a fit. 

Jonathan Quick and Semyon Varlamov will be free agents in 2023, both carry modest cap hits and both are on teams with expensive goalie rooms, which has led to trade speculation for both. The Capitals would seem like a potential trade partner if that’s indeed the case. 

There are options, though, and the Capitals and MacLellan will undoubtedly explore all of them this summer.

How can the Caps get younger?

MacLellan knows the Capitals need to get younger, and that’s a task far easier said than done. 

There are a handful of internal ways the team can inject some youth into the lineup, because adding good young players from outside the organization isn’t easy or cheap.

Washington’s playoff loss to Florida in round one, though, a series where the Capitals’ goaltending was good enough to win and their special teams were downright dominant, underscored the need for improvement at five-on-five. 

Once the team figures out its goaltending situation, as MacLellan said, then it can turn its attention to improving the rest of the lineup. They’ll get a better idea of how, and where, once injury news about Backstrom and Hagelin becomes clear.  

The team has indeed focused on adding veterans to the lineup over the last few seasons, but now, it appears the Capitals could emphasize bringing in younger (and cheaper) forwards and defensemen to the lineup. 

Capitals lament a Stanley Cup playoff series that got away originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The two most central figures in Capitals hockey for the last two decades sat at their postgame press conferences Friday night donning gray sweatshirts and long, pained expressions.

Their season had ended minutes prior with another crushing loss in overtime, but the focus from Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom was not only centered around the heart-stopping and heartbreaking 4-3 defeat at Capital One Arena in Game 6 of their Stanley Cup playoff series against the Florida Panthers. It was about the previous two games, too. 

In their first-round loss, the Capitals blew three straight leads — two of them in the third period of games at home — as the series, and their season, came crashing down at moments right as it seemed Washington had the Panthers firmly in their grasp.

“That’s obviously part of the things that you’ve got to do to be successful in the playoffs,” Backstrom said. “You have to shut down teams. I don’t know what else to say. It’s obviously on us. It’s disappointing.”

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The Panthers were the Presidents’ Trophy winners in the regular season on the back of the league’s best offense, which led the most comeback victories in the sport during the regular season. 

In the postseason, the Capitals got an up-close look at what Florida was capable of in the final three games of the series. 

In Game 6, the Panthers rallied in the third period with Claude Giroux and Aleksander Barkov goals to take a 3-2 lead after Backstrom pushed the Capitals ahead. T.J. Oshie scored a dramatic power-play goal with 63 seconds left to play to force overtime, but Florida needed just two minutes and 46 seconds of overtime for Carter Verhaeghe to score and push the team to the second round for the first time since 1996. 

“I think we’ve been there almost every game,” Ovechkin said. “We got the lead and we blew it away. Especially like after 3-0, even the chance coming back, it was kind of hard but as you see today, it was a huge battle and get the lead, lose it, tie the game. And you know, I didn’t see obviously the (overtime) goal. Maybe bad bounce or something like that, but loss is loss.”

Florida advancing to the second round in just six games, though, especially after Game 3, felt far-fetched. 

The Capitals won that third game by a score of 6-1 and led in the dying minutes of Game 4. Then Marcus Johansson was stopped on a breakaway attempt, Garnet Hathaway’s shot to an empty net hit the outside of the cage and the Panthers tied it moments later. Washington lost in overtime as the series drew tied, and instead of a 3-1 series lead it was fighting for the advantage once again in Game 5. 

Once the two teams got to Florida for the second time in the series, the Capitals weathered a big push from the Panthers and emerged clean on the other side to take a 3-0 lead in the second period of Game 5. Then Florida scored five goals in a row to win and take the series lead for the first time headed back to Washington for what turned out to be the final game of the season. 

Game 6 was no different from the previous two, in that respect, as the Panthers rallied with two third period goals to take a late lead. Oshie’s score in the final seconds just put off the suffering for a few more minutes.

“I mean the last three games have been in our hands at some point in the third, or some point in the game, anyways,” Oshie said. “We were unable to capitalize on all those opportunities. We weren’t able to shut the door.”

That’s what made the frustration palpable from Ovechkin, Backstrom, Oshie and John Carlson in their postgame press conferences: The Capitals weren’t wildly outclassed by the Panthers for the entire series. They more than hung with the NHL’s best regular-season team.  

“I thought our guys played hard, we had opportunities to win and played against a team that proved to be the top team in the league, played ‘em hard,” Washington coach Peter Laviolette said. “The games could have went either way — they just didn’t go our way. I think that’s the part you’ve got to let sit in your stomach for a while.”

The Capitals lost two overtime games on home ice. They had a lead in five of the six games and lost three of them. And with the series officially complete, it’s clear that Washington, for the most part, played the style it wanted to. It kept Panthers’ shots to the outside, their special teams were stellar all series long (Florida did not have a power play goal on 18 chances) and they held the majority of high-danger chances.

But in fitting fashion, the Capitals had the lead twice in Game 6 and gave it up both times. Even with the huge momentum swing of Oshie’s goal to force overtime, there wasn’t enough offense to keep up.

“In playoffs, the margin of error is so small,” Oshie said. “One bad bounce or one misread can change the whole momentum of a game. And all of a sudden, thinking you’re going to go to their barn up 3-1, [but] it’s 2-2. Up 3-0, lose 5-3. Now come here, up 2-1 — I think it was under 10 minutes maybe — and then all of a sudden we’re down one in the last couple minutes. Things happen fast, and we just didn’t shut the door. There’s really no other way to put it.”

It’s not a stretch to imagine a series where Washington closed out Game 4 and headed to Sunrise, Fla.  with a 3-1 series lead to face a reeling Panthers team without much confidence. It’s easy to think about a series where the Capitals hang onto a three-goal lead in Game 5 and come to D.C. with a chance to close out Florida on home ice. 

Now after Game 6, it’s easy to imagine a scenario where Washington is making flight arrangements to Fort Lauderdale for a win-or-go-home Game 7 where a team loaded with veteran experience has momentum for the final night of the series.

“We had a lot of time where the series was in our hands,” Carlson said. “And I think that stings even more, especially right now. Not much more to say than that.”

The end of the season, in regard to Game 6, was a fitting conclusion to a six-game set where the Capitals came close to, but could never conquer. 

And as the Panthers stormed off the bench to mob Verhaeghe and celebrate their series victory in front of a stunned silent crowd at Capital One Arena, it didn’t take much to imagine a scenario where that was the Capitals instead. That’s the part that hurt the most.

“Not just this game, I mean it’s been every game,” Backstrom said. “As we said before, their offense is very good. It doesn’t take a lot to get them going. When they get a goal, they get fired up and then they start rolling. I think we basically gave the series to them.”

Tom Wilson will not play in Game 6 as Capitals look to stave off elimination originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Capitals forward Tom Wilson will not play Friday in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup playoff series against the Florida Panthers, coach Peter Laviolette confirmed. 

Wilson was on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex before the team’s 10:30am morning skate going through skating drills, but did not participate in the team’s official practice. 

Wilson was injured in Game 1 against the Panthers shortly after scoring the series’ first goal and has not played since with a lower-body injury. Washington has called him day-to-day since then. 

Absent Wilson again, the Capitals changed up their lines a bit and moved Conor Sheary to the top line to skate with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Anthony Mantha will skate with Connor McMichael and Lars Eller on the third line. Listen and Subscribe

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If the Capitals lose at home Friday night, they’ll be eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth straight season (coverage begins on NBC Sports Washington at 6:30 p.m.) If they win, Game 7 will be on Sunday in Florida. 

“It’s pretty simple,” defenseman John Carlson said. “We’ve had a lot of good moments so far in this series and I think that we know what it takes on our good efforts and our good wins and all that. Focus on that and have the confidence that I know we do have, and try to learn from our mistakes, move past it and have a good effort tonight.”

Here were the team’s lines at morning skate ahead of Game 6: 

Forwards: 

Ovechkin — Kuznetsov — Sheary

Johansson — Backstrom — Oshie 

McMichael — Eller — Mantha

Larsson — Dowd — Hathaway 

Defense: 

Fehervary — Carlson 

Orlov — Jensen

van Riemsdyk — Schultz

All first-round games of Capitals vs. Panthers will be available regionally on NBC Sports Washington and streamed live on the MyTeams app.

Caps unravel in Game 5 with blown three-goal lead in 5-3 loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

SUNRISE, Fla. — Twenty-three minutes into Wednesday’s Game 5 of a first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Florida Panthers, the Capitals appeared so close to a series lead they could feel it. 

When they skated off the ice, all they could hear was Florida’s goal horn and all they could see were flying toy rats, scattering onto the ice around them. 

The Capitals blew a three-goal lead and lost 5-3 at FLA Live Arena and, for the second-straight game, fell in agonizing fashion. They’ve now been pushed to the brink of elimination in this best-of-seven series with Game 6 set for Friday night at Capital One Arena.  

Florida scored three goals in the second period and took the lead early in the third period with a Carter Verhaeghe tally to cap an epic comeback at home. 

The Panthers lead the series 3-2 with a chance to close it out on Friday. Here are a few takeaways from Game 5:

Panthers complete three-goal comeback

The Panthers led the NHL in comeback wins for a reason, and the Capitals have learned that the hard way in the last two games. 

Florida scored four unanswered goals to take the lead as Washington was held off the board for the final 37-plus minutes in its second-straight defeat. 

The Capitals, in back-to-back games, have blown leads in painful fashion — first in Game 4 with a late goal allowed in the final minutes with the goalie pulled for an extra skater, then in Game 5 with the three-goal lead blown.

Power play, and Oshie, stay hot

The Capitals’ power play stayed blistering hot and scored its sixth goal with the man-advantage of the series with a T.J. Oshie deflection. 

The goal moved the power play to 6-of-18 in the series, and their penalty kill was once again good as it held the Panthers off the board for the fifth-straight game. Florida is now 0-for-15 while a man-up this series. 

The Capitals’ special teams has continued to reign supreme this series. 

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Samsonov starts three straight

Ilya Samsonov earned his third straight start in goal Wednesday night as the Capitals turned to him once again after two strong games in Washington in Games 3 and 4.

He had another game where he kept the Panthers off the board at timely moments, but even he couldn’t withstand the Panthers’ offensive firepower for the entire night. Samsonov stopped 33 of 38 shots.  

Hanging on in the first leads to a wild second

The Capitals hung on for dear life at the end of the first period, and it paid off — for a little while.

Washington withstood an unrelenting Florida attack in the final eight or so minutes of the first period and escaped into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead. In the second period, the Capitals saw the reward. First, Justin Schultz put the Capitals up 2-0 with a rebound goal in front of the net. Then just 86 seconds later, T.J. Oshie scored on a two-on-one to make the Capitals’ lead three. 

As it turned out, the Capitals would need that cushion.

The Panthers scored three unanswered goals to tie the game in the second period in an onslaught that brought the game even just when it appeared Washington was in control. 

Laviolette juggles the lines

The Capitals, despite showing the no changes to the forward lines at their morning skate, juggled things a bit in Game 5. 

Washington coach Peter Laviolette moved Alex Ovechkin down to the third line for portions of the night to skate with Lars Eller and Conor Sheary. In the first period, Connor McMichael took a shift with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Oshie. 

It was the first major (non-injury related) line juggling move by the Capitals this series, as they looked to give a different look to the Panthers.

All first-round games of Capitals vs. Panthers will be available regionally on NBC Sports Washington and streamed live on the MyTeams app.

Panthers beat Capitals 3-2 in overtime to even playoff series originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Florida Panthers got an overtime goal from Carter Verhaeghe as they earned a 3-2 sudden victory win Monday over the Capitals in Game 4 at Capital One Arena. 

The series is now tied at 2-2 headed to Florida.

The Capitals escaped the Panthers’ push in the second period unscathed, but weren’t able to hold on the entire way as the league’s best offense scored when it counted most.

Florida tied the game late with 2:04 left to play, and may have saved their season in the process.

Game 5 is on Wednesday at 7:30 pm. Here are a few takeaways from Game 4:

Overtime winner

Verhaeghe lifted the Panthers to an overtime win with a snap shot with 15:03 left in the overtime period. 

The Capitals had pressed early in overtime, but the Panthers struck coming back the other way to completely change the tide of the series. 

Panthers tie it late

The Panthers tied the game with a Sam Reinhart goal that beat Ilya Samsonov just barely to tie the game at 2-2. 

Sergei Bobrovsky had been pulled from the Florida net with three minutes left to play and the Panthers answered less than a minute later. 

Kuznetsov lifts the Capitals in the third

With the game tied at 1-1 almost midway through the third period, Evgeny Kuznetsov took flight. 

He scored on a breakaway and, with his trademark bird celebration, single-handedly turned Capital One Arena into a madhouse. 

The goal pushed the Capitals ahead with more than half of the third period left to play, which was just a bit more time than Washington could handle. 

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Special teams shine for both sides

In the second period, and throughout the night, special teams were the name of the game. 

The Capitals’ penalty kill went four-of-four on the night as they pushed the Panthers to 0-for-13 in the series. And in the first period their power play gave them the first goal of the night to put them ahead 1-0. It was the team’s fourth power play goal in four games. 

It’s fair to say that special teams are a large reason why the Caps head to Florida with the series even. 

Samsonov earns second-straight start

The Capitals turned to Samsonov in net once again after his stellar performance in Game 3 on Saturday. And once again, he was excellent in the net. 

Samsonov stopped 29 of 32 Panthers shots sent his way as the netminder undoubtedly earned a start in Game 5. The crowd appreciated his efforts, especially in the second period, when chants of “Sammy! Sammy!” rang throughout the building. 

In that second period, shot attempts favored the Panthers 25-6 and shots favored them 12-4. But Samsonov stood tall and kept the Capitals in the game. 

Tom Wilson absent again

The Capitals were once again without Tom Wilson in the lineup, as he remains out with a lower-body injury. 

Coach Peter Laviolette said Monday that the injury was still of the day-to-day variety. His status for the remainder of the series is unknown. 

Whenever, if ever, Wilson returns to the lineup, the Capitals will certainly be in need of his return. 

All first-round games of Capitals vs. Panthers will be available regionally on NBC Sports Washington and streamed live on the MyTeams app.

Tom Wilson remains day-to-day, not present at morning skate originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Tom Wilson remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury, coach Peter Laviolette confirmed Monday morning. Wilson suffered a lower-body injury last Tuesday in the Capitals’ Game 1 win against the Panthers and has not played since. 

Laviolette cracked that he would update Wilson’s status only on a day-to-day basis, and for today, the update remained the same. 

Wilson scored the first goal of the series on the power play to lift the Capitals to a 1-0 lead early in Game 1. He left the game shortly thereafter and did not return to the ice.

The Capitals are looking to take a 3-1 series lead on Monday against the Panthers. Teams that lead 2-1 in the series, historically, win 70% of the time in a best-of-seven per ESPN. Teams that take a 3-1 series lead win, historically, 90.8% of the time. 

Now, the Capitals will try to get there without one of their best players, and most respected leaders, in the lineup once again. 

Absent Wilson for the third-straight game, Laviolette and the Capitals kept the lines the same from their 6-1 win in Game 3 on Saturday: 

Ovechkin — Kuznetsov — Oshie

Johansson — Backstrom —Mantha

McMichael — Eller — Sheary

Larsson — Dowd  — Hathaway

Defense

Fehervary — Carlson 

Orlov — Jensen

van Riemsdyk — Schultz

Ilya Samsonov will start in net once again.

All first-round games of Capitals vs. Panthers will be available regionally on NBC Sports Washington and streamed live on the MyTeams app.

Caps’ unsung heroes pave the way for series lead originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Each opponent focuses on Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov before facing the Capitals. But Washington’s depth pieces have time and again proven to be just as lethal in determining the outcomes of games lately as the potential Hall of Famers.

Saturday’s Game 3 vs. the Florida Panthers was no different. It was the ‘other guys’ for the Capitals who forced the issue and made life tough on their opponents. Three names, in particular, stood out as the skaters who had the biggest impact on the colossal 6-1 victory for the home side: Marcus Johansson, Anthony Mantha, and Trevor van Riemsdyk.

Johansson made the team’s front office look great in Game 3. Washington traded Daniel Sprong for the forward at the trade deadline this season to provide an added depth piece. Johansson jumped on the puck from a play set up by Mantha, picked up the pieces off a rebound and scored arguably the most important goal of the day, putting the Caps up 2-1.

“I think it was Nick [Backstrom] and [Mantha]. They made a great play, Nick got the puck to Mo and Mo made an unbelievable play cutting through the middle,” Johansson said postgame. “I was trying to get open for a pass but luckily the bounce got to me and it felt good to see that one go in.”

Mantha spent the entire game muscling his way to the puck, often dispossessing Panthers and forcing the issue in the offensive zone. He was named by NBC Sports Washington as one of the Capitals’ skaters who would have the biggest impact on postseason success. 

Mantha proved just that on Saturday, hounding Mackenzie Weegar before stealing the puck and springing Washington’s third goal, connecting with both Johansson and van Riemsdyk.

Van Riemsdyk, a 30-year-old veteran, made few errors throughout the contest and often won puck battles below the net. His snipe in the second period provided enough momentum to the point when Washington wouldn’t conceded much else for the rest of the game.

“I think we did a good job of playing the right way,” van Riemsdyk said postgame. “[Oshie] said it perfectly: it’s not like we were up 6-1 the whole game. We worked hard to get there…I think we did a good job of when we got the lead to keep playing hard and keep doing the right things.”

All told, the trio of Johansson-Mantha-van Riemsdyk swung the game in Washington’s favor, combining for seven shots on goal, five points and were +6. Their depth pieces could indeed be key to snagging the two wins necessary to advance to conference semifinals.

“I think last game kinda pissed us off a little bit,” Johansson said. “We played a good 60 minutes tonight. We had to work for it in the beginning and I think we earned the win and we earned the goals we got as well. It was overall a good team effort.”

With Wilson out, Ovechkin’s physicality catalyzes Caps win originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Tom Wilson’s absence was felt mightily by the Washington Capitals as they dropped Game 2 to the Florida Panthers 5-1 on Thursday night. And when the puck dropped for Saturday’s Game 3 matinee, it was none other than Alex Ovechkin who made sure there was no lack of physical presence by the Capitals this time around.

The Capitals’ captain filled in the void left by Wilson for much of the dominant 6-1 win, bum-rushing the Panthers each time he hit the ice.

“If the big man’s hitting — I guess everyone’s got less games than him, less experience, less GOATness — so if the big man’s hitting, you better be hitting, too,” T.J. Oshie said after the game. “He’s going to drag everyone else along with him.”

Ovechkin tallied two points in the contest, assisting on Oshie’s goal late in the first period and scoring a blistering one-timer in the third. He notched six hits in the game, tied for most on the Capitals with Garnet Hathaway and Lars Eller. His impact was felt by his teammates.

“He wears the ‘C’ for a reason,” Oshie said. “He leads us into battle. When he’s going hard and he’s being physical that just bleeds into the rest of the team.”

Contributing to the physical battle in the absence of Tom Wilson can’t be understated. Though hits are sometimes a misleading stat — teams often hit more when they don’t have a lot of possession and are conceding turnovers — Ovechkin was the driving force behind Washington storming back from a 1-0 deficit to score six unanswered goals and take a 2-1 series lead. 

Wilson’s status remains unknown for Game 4. Laviolette and the Caps will hope he can suit up after the lower-body injury he suffered 90 seconds into Game 1. If he’s out, Ovechkin will likely need to step into the physical role again. 

“Which we need. Everybody’s got to chip in with that. Tom’s not there again tonight and he’s a big guy that provides some physicality and so everybody’s got to ante up,” head coach Laviolette said postgame. “For a guy who scores goals and is going to go down as one of the greats of all time, his physical play is always evident and needed. And so it set the tone.”

A goal, assist, and six hits later, Ovechkin and the Capitals lead the NHL’s best regular-season team 2-1 in the first round. An absolutely critical Game 4 awaits on Monday night in the nation’s capital. 

Records are meant to be broken. Unless they’ve been set by Wayne Gretzky.

Many of the NHL records held by “The Great One” sure seem unbreakable. Others, however, could soon fall thanks to Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and players who continue to rewrite the record books. 

With the 2022 NHL Playoffs underway, some postseason regulars have continued what could prove to be a record-breaking chase. So, it’s a perfect time to highlight some playoff records that eventually could be broken and history that soon could be made. 

How many teams have won three straight Stanley Cups?

The Tampa Bay Lighting are looking to do what only two teams in the post-Original Six era have accomplished: threepeat.

During the 2022 playoffs, the Lightning will try to become the first team to win a third straight Stanley Cup championship since the New York Islanders, which won four consecutive titles from 1980 to 1983. 

The Montreal Canadiens also won four straight from 1976 to 1979. During the Original Six era (pre-1967), the Canadiens won five straight from 1956 to 1960. The Toronto Maple Leafs won three straight on two occasions, from 1947 to 1949 and from 1962 to 1964. 

Who is the NHL playoffs all-time points leader? 

Yes, that’s an easy one, it’s Wayne Gretzky. But do you know how large his lead is? Hint: it’s a lot. 

Gretzky is the all-time leader in playoff goals scored with 122, which is 13 more than Mark Messier in 28 fewer games. 

Gretzky is also the all-time leader in playoff assists with 260. Messier once again is in second by a wide margin with 186.

Add it all up and Gretzky leads the postseason in points with 382. No other player has reached 300, and only four have more than 200, with Messier in second with 295. 

Who is the active leader in NHL playoff goals? 

Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby are both in the top 20 for career postseason goals. Ovechkin is 16th with 71 goals and Crosby is 19th with 69. 

Crosby is approaching the rare 200-postseason-point club. Having entered the 2022 playoffs as the active leader in the postseason points with 191, Crosby is set to become the seventh player to reach the 200-point milestone. He would join Wayne Gretzky (382), Mark Messier (295), Jari Kurri (233), Glenn Anderson (214) and Jaromir Jagr (201). 

In addition, if Crosby can record another postseason hat trick, it would be the fourth of his career. Only eight players have four or more playoff hat tricks, led by Gretzky’s 10. No other player has more than seven.

Who is the NHL active playoff leader in games played?

No player competing in the 2022 NHL postseason has been in more playoff games than Joe Thornton of the Florida Panthers.

The 42-year-old Thornton – who also leads all active players in regular-season games with 1,712 – has played in 186 playoff games, which is second among active players and 28th overall. But the future Hall of Famer, who spent 15 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, is yet to hoist the Stanley Cup. He has a chance to do so this season with the top-seeded Panthers. 

With a long postseason run, Thornton could surpass the league’s overall active leader in playoff games played, Zdeno Chara. 

The New York Islanders defenseman, who spent 14 seasons with the Boston Bruins, has played in 200 playoff games, which is tied for 20th on the all-time list. Chara won’t add to that total this season, and still has a long way to go to catch the all-time leader in postseason games played: Chris Chelios with 266. 

Which player has won the most Stanley Cups?

Henri Richard of the Montreal Canadiens has won more Stanley Cups than any other player with 11. Eight active players have won three Stanley Cups: Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Jonathan Towes and Pat Maroon. Only 119 players in NHL history have won four Cups.

Which coach has the most Stanley Cup championships? 

Only 11 NHL head coaches have won three or more Stanley Cups. Three coaches in the 2022 playoffs have a chance to join that exclusive club this season: Darryl Sutter of the Calgary Flames, Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Mike Sullivan of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Four coaches have won the Cup four times, and Scotty Bowman holds the record with nine.

Which goalie has the most Stanley Cup playoff appearances?

Marc-Andre Fleury of the Minnesota Wild will play in his 16th postseason, which is tied with Jacques Plante and Andy Moog for the third most ever among goaltenders. Fleury needs just one more postseason appearance to tie Patrick Roy (17) and Martin Brodeur (17) for most all time. Fleury, with 16 postseason shutouts, has 90 career postseason wins, which trails Grant Fuhr by two victories for third place all-time.

Who has the most overtime goals in the Stanley Cup playoffs?

Corey Perry of the Tampa Bay Lightning needs one overtime goal to tie Maurice Richard for second most in playoff history. Joe Sakic is first with eight OT goals.

How quickly was the fastest goal scored in a Stanley Cup playoff game? 

The fastest goal scored in an NHL playoff game was six seconds in by Don Kozak in the Kings’ 7-4 win over the Bruins in Game 4 of the 1976-1977 quarterfinals. 

Has an NHL team ever gone 16-0 in the playoffs?

The longest winning streak during one postseason is 11 games, held by the 1991-1992 Chicago Blackhawks, the 1991-1992 Pittsburgh Penguins and the 1992-1993 Montreal Canadiens.

The longest losing streak over multiple postseasons is 16 by the Chicago Blackhawks, which dated from April 20, 1975 to April 22, 1979.

Which team has won the most Stanley Cup championships?

The Montreal Canadiens have the most Stanley Cup Finals appearances with 32 and the most championships with 23. 

What NHL team has the longest active playoff streak?

The Penguins have made the playoffs every season since 2006-2007, which is the longest active streak at 16 seasons. The second-longest active streak is held by the Nashville Predators, with eight consecutive appearances. The record for most consecutive playoff appearances is held by the Boston Bruins, who made 29 straight postseasons from 1967-1968 to 1995-1996. 

What player has the longest active playoff streak?

Ryan McDonagh of the Tampa Bay Lightning holds the active playoff streak record, with 11 straight postseason appearances dating back to the 2010-2011 season. The record for most consecutive postseasons is 20, held by Niklas Lindstrom and Larry Robinson.

What is the most goals scored in a playoff game by one player?

The record for most goals scored by one player in a playoff game is five, held by Newsy Lalonde in 1919, Maurice Richard in 1944, Darryl Sittler in 1976, Reggie Leach in 1976 and Mario Lemieux in 1989.

Who is the NHL’s active leader in postseason game-winning goals?

Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins leads active players with 12 postseason game-winning goals, which is 23rd most all-time. Brett Hull and Wayne Gretzky are tied for first with 24. 

Which goalie has the highest save percentage in NHL postseason history?

Tim Thomas posted a .933 save percentage over 51 playoff games with the Boston Bruins and Dallas Stars, which is the highest percentage in the NHL postseason (since the 1955-1956 season). Among active players, Mike Smith of the Edmonton Oilers and Craig Anderson of the Buffalo Sabres are tied for third all time with a .929 save percentage.

The only other active player in the top 10 is Dallas Stars goalie Braden Holtby, who is eighth with a .926 save percentage in 97 games.

What is the longest game in NHL postseason history?

Five overtimes just weren’t enough. Twice in NHL postseason history, a game went into a sixth overtime to determine a winner. In 1936, Detroit defeated the Montreal Maroons, 1-0, after 116 minutes and 30 seconds of hockey, the longest NHL playoff game in history. That broke the record set in 1933, when the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Boston Bruins, 1-0, in a game that took 104 minutes and 46 seconds. 

Imagine watching more than 100 minutes of scoreless hockey? 

In more recent history, the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1, in the 2000 conference semifinals during a game that went five overtimes and took just over 92 minutes for the third longest postseason game. And in 2020, the soon-to-be-champion Tampa Bay Lighting defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-2, in the first round during a 5-OT thriller that lasted 90 minutes and 27 seconds, the fourth longest postseason game.    

What are the most goals scored in a NHL playoff series?

The most goals by a team in a playoff series is 44 by the 1984-1985 Edmonton Oilers in a 4-2 series win over the Chicago Blackhawks in the conference finals. 

The fewest goals scored by one team in a four-game series is one by the 2002-2003 Wild.

The fewest goals scored by one team in a seven-game playoff series is eight by the 2010-2011 Canucks in a 4-3 series loss to the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals.

What is the most goals scored by one team during a Stanley Cup playoff game?

The most goals scored by a team in a playoff game is 13 by the Edmonton Oilers in a 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings in the 1987 division semifinals. Jari Kurri had four goals and an assist and Wayne Gretzky had a goal and six assists.

The most goals scored by a team in one period of a playoff game is 7 by the 1943-1944 Montreal Canadiens. That was in the third period of an 11-0 win over Toronto.

Records per https://records.nhl.com/

All signs point toward Alex Ovechkin being available for Game 1 originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Alex Ovechkin and coach Peter Laviolette played coy, but it appears that the Capitals’ captain is headed toward a return for Game 1 of the postseason. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 pm on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers. 

Ovechkin missed the final three games of the regular season with an upper-body injury he suffered last Sunday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He fell shoulder-first hard into the corner boards behind the Toronto net and didn’t return for the remainder of the game. 

Yet with the playoffs looming, all signs indicate Ovechkin will be in the lineup for Tuesday. 

Ovechkin said he felt, “good,” and when pressed on if he’d play in Game 1, responded, “we’ll see.” He added that he could have played in the team’s final three regular season games were they playoff games. 

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Ovechkin, who has never missed a postseason game in his NHL career, scored 50 goals in his 17th NHL season this year. Unsurprisingly, the Capitals totaled four goals in their three final games absent Ovechkin. 

He took part in the team’s first of two practices before they head to Florida on Monday afternoon, and took his normal spot at first line left wing. He skated with center Evgeny Kuznetsov and Conor Sheary. 

“Right now he’s day-to-day,” Laviolette said. “He had a good day today. You guys saw him out there. He didn’t shy away from anything, so we hope he keeps moving forward.”

Ovechkin said the last week was regular for him as he worked to get back onto the ice as quickly as possible. 

“Obviously he is best goal scorer in the league, and goals are important,” Washington defenseman Dmitry Orlov said. “You can see last three games we didn’t score a lot. For sure we need him as a captain, as a leader, as our goal scorer, so we need everyone, everybody healthy right now so it is good.”

Nothing is certain at the moment, but for now, all signs point toward Ovechkin being in the lineup for Game 1 against the Panthers.

Reports: Caps rule out Ovi vs. Isles, status vs. Rangers TBD originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Head coach Peter Laviolette ruled out Alex Ovechkin for the Capitals’ game against the New York Islanders on Thursday but left open the possibility that he could play in Friday’s regular season finale against the New York Rangers, according to multiple reports, including by The Washington Post.

Ovechkin, 36, missed Washington’s first of two games against the Islanders on Tuesday after suffering an upper-body injury on a collision with the boards in the third period of Sunday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Capitals lost 4-1 in a critical game that could’ve allowed them to pass the Pittsburgh Penguins for the third seed in the Metropolitan Division had they emerged victorious.

However, the Capitals will be forced to face the Islanders once again without their veteran captain, who leads the team with 50 goals this season. Laviolette previously expressed pessimism that Ovechkin would be able to play in any of their games this week, so a return to the ice even in practice is an encouraging sign at the very least for his chances of being ready for Game 1 of the playoffs.

Washington Capitals Apr 28, 2022

All About Alex Ovechkin: Told It Here With Joe Beninati & Craig Laughlin Ep. 1

Apr 26, 2022

Disastrous 3rd Period Dooms Alex Ovechkin-Less Capitals in Loss to Islanders

Apr 24, 2022

Alex Ovechkin Leaves Game Vs. Maple Leafs With Upper-Body Injury

The Capitals enter play Thursday trailing Pittsburgh by one point in the standings. The Penguins have the day off before wrapping up their season against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, giving Washington another opportunity to jump past them with a win.

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Beninati, Laughlin talk cars with Ovechkin in first podcast originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin have been calling Capitals games together for 25 years, more than half the entire history of the franchise. The broadcasting duo joined hockey fans in their living rooms as the franchise went through several eras of success as well as periods of futility as well.

Those down years have been hard to find ever since the NHL debut of Alex Ovechkin. The greatest goal scorer of his generation has played his entire career with Joe B. and Locker in the booth, allowing them to forge strong relationships with the Great 8 over the years.

So when they decided to celebrate a quarter-century of working together by dropping the limited-edition “Told It Here!” podcast, their first guest was a no-brainer.

Ovechkin sat down with Beninati and Laughlin for their first episode, which dropped Thursday, and they looked back on key moments of his career together. One of those moments came during the left winger’s rookie year, when he proudly drove his BMW M6 out of the Capitals’ parking lot only to see Beninati driving the same one. Ovechkin was furious.“Yeah, and you still have a BMW,” Ovechkin told Beninati. “I’m kind of growing up and I have a Mercedes. M6 was one of my favorite cars. I sent it to Moscow and I enjoyed it [but] obviously I didn’t spend lots of time in Moscow so I have to sell it.”

Grow up, Ovechkin has. The 36-year-old became the oldest player in NHL history to record a 50-goal campaign this season, moving up to No. 3 on the all-time scoring list behind only Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe. He’s led the Capitals to 13 playoff appearances and hopes to help them make another run next week despite suffering an upper-body injury Sunday.

Ovechkin has also swapped out his M6 for a couple Mercedes AMG G-Class SUVs, also known as the G-Wagon. While he earned a reputation for his car collection early in his career, the Capitals’ star has since become a family man with two children. The G-Wagon, though still as luxurious as they come, is certainly more practical. A reporter for ABC captured a picture of one of them at an airport back in 2018.

“I used to have lots of cars but right now I’m kind of Mercedes guy,” Ovechkin said. “I love [the] G-Wagon. What I have, I bought it in 2014 and I still have it, a black one. In Moscow I have a G-Wagon as well.”

Beninati and Laughlin released the first two episodes of their podcast Thursday and they plan to host four more. Twenty-five years together has provided plenty of stories to tell and the “Told It Here!” podcast will allow them to give Capitals fans a unique insight into both their relationship and the team’s development into one of the NHL’s premiere franchises.

Listen to more episodes of Told It Here:

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No official update on Ovechkin injury after Toronto loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Alex Ovechkin left Sunday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs with an upper-body injury in the third period and did not return. Ovechkin lost control of the puck on a breakaway and goalie Erik Kallgren extended his stick and Ovechkin tripped over it and slammed his shoulder hard into the boards.

Head coach Peter Laviolette did not have any updates following the game.

“I haven’t talked to the trainer yet, so we’ll get an evaluation on him,” Laviolette said.

Ovechkin was down on the ice for an extended period of time, only getting up when the play was blown dead. After initially holding his arm, he then extended and rotated his arm as he skated to the bench, voicing his displeasure at the non-call to the referees as he went before proceeding down the tunnel to the locker room.

While there was no official update from the team, T.J. Oshie said he spoke with Ovechkin after the game.

“I just talked to him and I think he’ll be all right,” Oshie said. “It’s always scary seeing Big 8 go down and lay on the ice. He’s a tough guy. But if there was anyone I would imagine wouldn’t miss any more time than he needs to, it’d be 8.”

Ovechkin’s absence was noticeable in overtime when the power play unit looked out of sorts with a chance to win the game. Toronto was called for too many men on the ice and the Caps sent out Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov and John Carlson.

While there was plenty of talent among those four, without the main weapon on the ice the power play fell flat and could not take advantage of the opportunity.

“We’re used to having two righties up top and then me on the back door, Oshie said. “… I think it changes the dynamic a little bit.”

“Definitely there’s an impact not having [Ovechkin] on the ice,” Laviolette said. “That’s where he’s at his best when he can find time and space with the extra attacker.”

The Caps would go on to lose Sunday’s game 4-3 in a shootout.

More important than just missing out on a second point, however, will be the team’s prospects for the playoffs.

Washington’s regular-season finale is on Friday against the New York Rangers with the playoffs set to start Monday or Tuesday the following week. That does not leave much time for Ovechkin to recoup from any lingering effects of Sunday’s upper-body injury.

Ovechkin was limited to 45 out of 56 games in 2020-21 due to an injury and only played two of the team’s final nine games. He played in all five playoff games as Washington was dispatched in the first round by the Boston Bruins. Ovechkin scored two goals and two assists in that series.

All eyes will be on Ovechkin this week to see if he has avoided any serious injury.

“I’ve never met anyone tougher than that guy,” Oshie said. “We all hope he’s fine.”

Ovechkin hit 50 goals, but Capitals lose 4-3 to Vegas in OT originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Capitals had a whirlwind night in Las Vegas as captain Alex Ovechkin hit more milestones, but they came in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Golden Knights.

Washington rallied to tie the game at 3-3 in the third period, after Vegas had taken a 3-2 lead with two goals early in the period, but an overtime winner sent the Capitals leaving Sin City disappointed.

The Capitals are now 43-23-11 on the season with five games left. Here are a few takeaways from the night in Vegas: 

A disappointing end

Defenseman Shea Theodore scored a pretty game-winning goal on a nifty backhand over the glove of Ilya Samsonov, which gave the Capitals a 4-3 overtime loss. 

The Capitals earned a point, however, and moved into a tie for third place in the Metropolitan Division with the Pittsburgh Penguins with five games left to play.

Ovechkin hits 49 and 50

Ovechkin had another milestone-laden night, as he set the single-season record for most goals by a player 36 or older (49) with a second period tally.

In the third period, he unleashed a wicked slap shot to tie the game at three for his 50th goal of the season. That gave him his ninth-career 50-goal season, which is now tied for the most 50-goal campaigns in NHL history with Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy.

You can read more about Ovechkin’s historic night here.

His 50th goal also was his 90th point of the season, the first time he’s scored that many points since the 2009-2010 season.

Now with 780 career goals, he’s also inching closer to No. 800 and second-place Gordie Howe. But for now, the milestones keep coming.

A mad minute

The Golden Knights scored twice in 49 seconds in the third period to rally and give themselves a 3-2 lead. 

The first goal came from Evgenii Dadonov on a wrist shot that snuck by goalie Ilya Samsonov. Almost immediately after play resumed, Nic Dowd committed a penalty and the Capitals went on a power play. Then, former Capital Chandler Stephenson scored on the power play just after Samsonov had lost his stick trying to make a post-to-post save. 

Washington rallied to tie, but it was the last time it held the lead all night.

Samsonov between the pipes

Coach Peter Laviolette and the Capitals appeared to have a leader for the No. 1 goalie job come the postseason entering Thursday’s game. If not, they’re certainly giving Samsonov a lot of runway. 

Samsonov, who made 26 saves on 30 Vegas shots, started once again on Wednesday in his sixth start in the team’s last eight games. 

Now with just five games left in the season, the Capitals are nearing the point where they must choose a goalie to begin the playoffs.

A must-win? 

The Capitals, by virtue of having clinched a playoff spot, will not have any true must-win games until the postseason begins. But if they want to make life easier for themselves, the final five games are going to be crucial. 

They are tied with the Penguins for the third spot in the Metropolitan Division and two behind the Bruins (with one more game played). And while the potential opponents are still unknown, the Capitals will certainly head on the road for Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. 

If they don’t want that to be against the top-seeded Panthers, they’ll need a strong finish to the season. And considering the team’s next game will be against the 32nd ranked Coyotes, that’s a game the Capitals need two points from.

Capitals clinch a playoff berth for 14th time in 15 years originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

A 4-2 loss by the New York Islanders on Sunday made official something that has already been assumed for several months.

With the loss, the Islanders are officially eliminated from the playoffs and the Capitals — without even taking the ice on Sunday — have clinched the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

This marks the 14th time in 15 seasons Washington has reached the postseason and extends the current streak to eight straight, the second-longest active streak in the NHL. Go back further, and the Capitals have qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs 32 times in the past 39 seasons, an astounding run of consistency for almost four decades. 

Despite having already punched its ticket, there remains plenty to play for in the final seven remaining games of the regular season for Washington. While we know all eight playoff teams in the East — and have for some time now — the order of those teams in the standings remains very much influx.

Washington currently sits in the second wild card spot, which would mean a first-round matchup against the Florida Panthers.

The Caps, however, trail the Boston Bruins by only three points for the first wild card spot. They also sit three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for third in the Metropolitan Division and that’s with two games in hand. Should the Caps overtake Boston or Pittsburgh, it will mean a first-round matchup against either the Carolina Hurricanes are New York Rangers, both of which look much more beatable than the Panthers.

The playoff lineup also appears to be a work-in-progress. The starting goalie remains a question mark and head coach Peter Laviolette continues to experiment with his lines. Those are things the team will have to continue to work on through these final seven games in order to go on a deep playoff run and compete for the Stanley Cup.

But you can now officially cross Step 1 of that process — reaching the playoffs — off the championship to-do list.

Ovechkin nearly gives Caps fans a heart attack, tripping during ceremony originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Before their game against the New Jersey Devils, the Washington Capitals were commemorating the 1,000th point accomplishment of Nicklas Backstrom. However, the ceremony nearly became a viral moment courtesy of Alexander Ovechkin. 

As Backstrom had his family on the ice along with members of the Capitals front office, Ovechkin and John Carlson skated over to hand Backstrom’s mother and fiancée the bouquet. However, after the 36-year-old handed over the flowers, he stumbled and nearly lost his balance while walking on the carpet.

Ovechkin didn’t injure himself, which is most important, and the ceremony went without any issue and avoided a near viral moment involving the captain.  

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The Capitals are set to honor Backstrom for scoring 1,000 points in the NHL before Saturday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Backstrom is just the second Caps player to reach that milestone.

He spoke to News4’s Jummy Olabanji about what it means to reach his career milestone and opened up about his close connection with teammates.

“When I was 19 and coming into this league, I was just trying to fight for a position with this team. And here we are today,” Backstrom said.

Mar 11, 2022

A Quiet Excellence: Capitals' Center Nicklas Backstrom's Journey to 1,000 Points

Washington Capitals Mar 9, 2022

Ovechkin and Backstrom Reflect on 1,000 Games Together

In his years in the D.C. area, Backstrom has grown his family. His son Vince is friends with Oshie’s daughter Leni.

“It’s great to see. And I love this age, too, when they have friends, they can hang out together, they do sports together, they go to school together.”

They even played a pretend hockey match as their dads, Backstrom said.

“One time, I came out — I think they were playing street hockey — and they were calling each other Nick Backstrom and T.J. Oshie,” he said with a laugh. “That was kind of fun.”

Backstrom said his family, including his parents and brother, will be at Saturday’s game to show support.

Fans who attend can pick up a special commemorative apple-shaped stress ball that says “Nicky” and “1,000 points” to mark the occasion.

Ovechkin now 3rd on all-time goals list in win vs. Islanders originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Alex Ovechkin scored career goal No. 767 to pass Jaromir Jagr for third on the all-time goals list as the Capitals defeated the New York Rangers 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday.

Here are some observations from the game.

No. 767

Ovechkin scored goal No. 767 in the third period to pull himself ahead of Jagr into sole possession of third place on the NHL’s all-time goal list. With the score tied at 2, the puck came to Ovechkin right off of the offensive zone draw. He went backhand, forehand, then snapped the shot past goalie and former teammate Semyon Varlamov. The entire team left the bench to celebrate the historic goal after receiving permission from the league to do so prior to the game.

Ovechkin is now the all-time leading European scorer and No. 3 all-time.

Wayne Gretzky (894)

Gordie Howe (801)

Alex Ovechkin (767)

That’s it. That’s the goal list.

Anders Lee would score just 2:59 later to tie the game at 3 and force overtime, but Anthony Mantha would win it in Round 8 of the shootout for the win.

Mantha stays hot

Anthony Mantha has played well since his return from shoulder surgery and that continued Tuesday. Mantha opened up the scoring with his first period tally as he whacked the puck through the legs of Varlamov. Evgeny Kuznetsov threw it to the front of the net and Varlamov could not corral it, allowing Mantha the chance to hit it home.

A shoulder injury back in November kept Mantha out until March. Now in six games since returning, he has two goals, one assist, a shootout winner and is playing very well.

A bad night for the coach’s challenge

Brock Nelson tied the game at 1 in the second period. Dmitry Orlov blocked a shot from Zdeno Chara, but the puck went right to Nelson who had an empty net as Vanecek had stepped to the top of the crease to challenge the initial shot.

Washington coach Peter Laviolette, however, challenged the goal for goalie interference. Anders Lee was right next to Vanecek and took a swipe at the initial shot with his stick, delivering a whack to the pads of Vanecek. Replay showed he then gave another quick whack after that and Vanecek reacted.

While the whack was unnecessary, it was minor enough that it would be hard to argue that it somehow interfered with Vanecek’s ability to defend the goal. The referees agreed as Washington lost the challenge and was issued a bench minor as a result. The Caps survived the penalty, but the damage was done.

Justin Schultz gave Washington the lead back later in the second, but this time it was Barry Trotz’s turn to challenge for offside. On review, you could see Kuznetsov enter into the offensive zone ahead of the puck, thus negating the goal and costing the Caps once again.

If at first you don’t succeed…

Later in the second, New York’s J.G. Pageau fed Kyle Palmieri with a nice pass to the far post. Vanecek was just able to slide over to make a nice save on what was a really good opportunity. It was so good, in fact, that New York tried it again.

Josh Bailey entered the left side of the offensive zone with the puck. When challenged by John Carlson, Bailey deked the puck inside catching Carlson flat-footed. He made a line for the net, then found Palmieri on the back post again. This time, Palmieri buried it for the 2-1 lead.

A first for Jonsson-Fjallby

Trailing by one in the third period, Dmitry Orlov intercepted a pass in the defensive zone and decided to push the offense. Axel Jonsson-Fjallby joined him on the 2-on-2 rush. Orlov deked Lee in the neutral zone creating a 2-on-1, then made a fantastic pass to set up Jonsson-Fjallby for the game-tying goal.

The goal is the first NHL goal of Jonsson-Fjallby’s career.

The Caps have seen a lot of rookies in and out of the lineup this season due to injuries and COVID absences. Now in for the injured Carl Hagelin, Jonsson-Fjallby is the ninth Caps player to score his first career NHL goal this season.

Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Alex Ovechkin. That’s now how the NHL’s all-time goals list reads.

With his goal Tuesday against the New York Islanders, Ovechkin passed Jaromir Jagr and now stands alone at No. 3 on the all-time scoring list. Ovechkin has 767 goals in his career, just 127 away from Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894.

With the score tied at 2 in the third period, the puck came to Ovechkin right off of the offensive zone draw. He went backhand, forehand, then snapped the shot past goalie Semyon Varlamov for the historic goal.

The goal was Ovechkin’s 37th of the season, pulling him into a tie with Kyle Connor for fourth in the NHL for the season.

After passing Jagr, there are only two players left to catch: Howe with 801 and Gretzky at 894. Given Ovechkin’s incredible scoring pace this season, we could see him reach 800 and catch Howe as early as next season. From there, all eyes will be on the Great 8 and his pursuit of Gretzky.

Ovechkin signed a five-year contract prior to the 2021-22 season. He had to average 33 goals per year to pass Gretzky by the end of the contract. He is ahead of pace already this season, which is important considering he will be 40 years old in Year 5 and it is unlikely even the Great 8 will be scoring 33 goals by then.

But at age 36, Ovechkin still remains one of the top goal-scorers in the NHL and he has passed yet another all-time great on his climb to the top.

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1,000 games and counting for Ovechkin and Backstrom together originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

If you didn’t know the story of how Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom became teammates, you might not believe it. If you saw it in a movie, you would dismiss it as a Hollywood fairytale. But it happened.

On Jun 24, 2006, Ovechkin joined then general manager George McPhee on stage at the draft and announced the Capitals’ selection with the fourth overall pick:

“The Washington Capitals are happy to pick Nicklas Backstrom.”

And just like that, one of the greatest tandems in NHL history was born. Now, 16 years later, Ovechkin and Backstrom will play their 1,000th game together Tuesday against the Calgary Flames.

“The organization has been fortunate to have two character people and high-skilled people that complement each other as well as they two do,” Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said. “Personality-wise, on and off the ice, their skillsets are a perfect match for each other.”

Outside of Washington, the team’s success over the past 10-15 years is easy to dub as the “Ovechkin era.” Capitals fans know, however, that Ovechkin and Backstrom have been linked together throughout this era in a way that makes them impossible to separate.

Ovechkin and Backstrom are not the first pair of superstars to ever play together. The list of all-time greats who have teamed up is a long one, but so is the list of superstar players who failed to make it work. Many times what we see those tandems accomplish on the ice is limited by off-ice factors whether it is players arguing over roles, a locker room split behind different leaders or even just one player not being able to check his ego at the door.

If the Caps were going to make this work, it had to work in the locker room. Luckily for Washington, Ovechkin and Backstrom are a perfect balance.

“The right kind of personalities,” former teammate Mike Knuble said, “You have kind of a one and a two that mesh together. When you’re both superstars, sometimes the locker room can only be so big to handle personalities. That’s where they meshed together, and good for them. They realized, ‘Hey, we work together and we’re both going to have great careers.’ It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out they realized that pretty quickly.”

The fact that Ovechkin and Backstrom are friends is great, but it’s what they do on the ice that makes them special. In that sense, their playing styles seem to complement each other just as well as their personalities do.

“They’re two of the top players in the game,” Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said. “They have been for a long time. And so, one of them has a skill set to make plays that is one of the best in the league and the other one has the ability to deliver the puck to the net. He’s arguably the best in the league. It’s a good combination and a good tandem.”

Pairing an elite playmaking center with arguably the greatest goal-scorer of all time is a formula for success and the two players quickly developed chemistry when they were finally on the same line early into the Bruce Boudreau era. That chemistry has led to Backstrom contributing 274 assists on goals by Ovechkin and an additional 106 assists from Ovechkin to set up Backstrom.

While Ovechkin frequently takes the spotlight, there is no denying Backstrom’s incredible skill that makes him one of the top playmakers in the league.

“Everybody knows his skill on the ice is tremendous,” Ovechkin said. “The vision, plays that he can make. He makes different players better than they are, even me.”

Backstrom is a great player in his own right, but it is hard to get out from under the shadow of one of the greatest to ever play the game.

“I’ve never seen a player that’s so hungry for things,” Backstrom said of Ovechkin. “Just scoring goals, hitting, making plays. I think he’s not that vocal in the locker room, but he shows out there on the ice. When O’s on, there’s no one stopping him and the rest of the team just follows him. So I think he’s got that energy to feed off everyone else on the team.”

Backstrom added, “I’ve been fortunate to be playing with him for this many years and be watching closely. It’s been great.”

But even a tandem as great as Ovechkin and Backstrom has had its struggles over the years.

As the team continued to fall short in the playoffs, the burden of blame and unmet expectations was often placed on the shoulders of the two superstars. From 2008 to 2017, Washington made the playoffs nine times, but failed to advance past the second round.

That changed in 2018 when the team finally defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in six games to hoist the Cup for the first time in franchise history.

“It’s kind of relief,” Ovechkin said.

As captain, Ovechkin received the Cup first. When it was time to pass it up, there was no question who the second player to hold the Cup would be.

Fittingly, Ovechkin remained by Backstrom’s side during his lap and the two even held it up together at one point.

It was a moment of relief, a moment of celebration, a moment of triumph. But it was also a moment of validation. Ovechkin and Backstrom were not just two good players with individual accolades and no team success. They were no longer part of the ignominious list of the greatest teams and players to never win a Cup. Finally, they were champions.

“It was more relief and ‘yes we did it’ than happiness to start,” Backstrom said. “It was more like, yes we can finally breathe.”

It was a championship that confirmed what fans in Washington already knew, that they were one of the greatest tandems of all-time without the asterisk that comes with falling to win.

In Capitals franchise history, Ovechkin ranks first in games played (1,252) and Backstrom ranks second (1,035). Ovechkin ranks first in goals (764), Backstrom ranks fourth (262). Backstrom ranks first in assists (735), Ovechkin ranks second (624). Ovechkin ranks first in points (1,388), Backstrom ranks second (997). Both players also brought a Cup to Washington as champions.

Ovechkin and Backstrom were linked the day Ovechkin announced Backstrom as the team’s pick in the draft. From then on, it was not the Ovechkin era in Washington, but the Ovechkin and Backstrom era, and it’s been one that has now lasted for 1,000 games.

“They’re going to be tied together forever, and rightfully so,” Knuble said. “They both would’ve been great players on their own, but to have them together, they both benefitted. It’s great that nobody got too big for the other guy and they were smart enough through the years to work together. It produced one of the best tandems in the NHL’s history.”

‘Please, no more war’: Ovechkin speaks out on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

A day after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, Alex Ovechkin addressed the situation with reporters on Friday following the Capitals practice.

“Obviously it’s hard situation,” Ovechkin said. “I have lots of friends in Russia and Ukraine, and it’s hard to see the war. I hope soon it’s going to be over and there’s going to be peace in the whole world.”

He added, “Please, no more war. It doesn’t matter who’s in the war, Russia, Ukraine, different countries. I think we live in a world, we have to live in peace.”

Ovechkin has been very open about his pride for his home country of Russia. He has also been a vocal supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past.

When asked if he supported Putin in wake of the recent events, Ovechkin said, “He’s my president, but, how I said, I’m not in politics. I’m an athlete. I hope everything is going to be done soon. It’s hard situation right now for both sides. Everything I hope is going to be end. I’m not control this situation.”

When asked if he supported Russia, Ovechkin again stressed he has no control over the war unfolding in Europe.

“I’m Russian. Something I can’t control. It’s not in my hands. I hope it’s going to end soon and it’s going to be peace in both countries. I don’t control this one.”

Ovechkin still has family in Russia and said he was unsure of when or if they would be leaving the country in the near future, saying, “We will see what’s going to happen.”

“It’s scary moments, but we can’t do anything,” Ovechkin said. “We just hope it’s going to be end soon and everything’s going to be all right.”

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Ovechkin to miss Wednesday’s game after entering COVID-19 protocol originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Alex Ovechkin has tested positive for coronavirus and has been placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, the Capitals announced Wednesday. He will be unavailable for Wednesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers and will not attend the NHL’s All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas.

In a corresponding move, forward Brett Leason was recalled off the taxi squad, as was goalie Pheonix Copley after an injury to Vitek Vanecek Tuesday in Pittsburgh.

Ovechkin will be eligible to play in Tuesday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets assuming he passes all the requirements to exit protocol.

Wednesday was the final day all players were required to get tested before the NHL switches to its new protocol which does not require a test for asymptomatic players. Ovechkin is the only Capitals player who has not missed a game this season, but that streak will end on Wednesday. He was also voted in as the Metropolitan team captain for the All-Star Game, but will miss that as well.

Ovechkin is in the midst of an incredible season in which he has scored 29 goals (3rd in the NHL) and 58 points (5th) at the age of 36. His absence Wednesday unfortunately means we will not get to see him match up against two of the other elite hockey stars, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

With Ovechkin out, Evgeny Kuznetsov is the only player for the Capitals expected to participate in the All-Star weekend.

Capitals-Flyers game postponed due to COVID-related issues originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The NHL has announced the postponement of Tuesday night’s game between the Capitals and Flyers due to COVID-related issues affecting Washington.

The news comes a day after the NHL and NHLPA agreed to pause for a Christmas break due to the surge in league-wide COVID-19 cases. The break was planned to leave Washington’s Tuesday night game in place before pausing from Wednesday, Dec. 22 to 2 p.m. on Dec. 26. 

The Capitals currently have three players in the league’s health and safety protocols. T.J. Oshie joined Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov on the NHL’s COVID-19 list on Sunday. Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette told the Sports Junkies on Tuesday morning that Nic Dowd, Garnet Hathaway and Trevor van Riemsdyk were all back.

A make-up date for the game has yet to be determined.

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