Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin kickstarted the comeback against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night, scoring the first of five unanswered tallies to lead a crucial 5-2 victory at Capital One Arena.
Ovechkin scored his 17th goal of the season and 48th career tally against Philly in the win, again leading the way in the nation's capital. In the process, he became the most prolific goal scorer in the history of the month of March.
“Ovechkin scored his 48th career goal against the Flyers, his third most against any franchise behind the Jets/Thrashers (53) and Lightning (50),” wrote NHL Public Relations on Saturday. “It also marked his 145th goal in the month of March (245 GP), which surpassed Wayne Gretzky (144 in 260 GP) for the most by any player in NHL history.”
An incredible statline for The Great Eight, who will be looking to pass Gretzky for another goal-scoring record at some point in the next few seasons. But in 2023-24, the 38-year-old continues to make history.
It was also the 79th career game that Ovechkin has played in where his team overcame a multi-goal deficit to win, tied for the 11th most in NHL history. The list is led by Paul Coffey (98), per NHL.com.
And although the individual accolades continue to pour in, if you ask Ovi, he probably just wants to get back in the postseason after a rare miss in 2023.
Capitals continue to battle for their playoff lives
It was a crucial two points for the Capitals, who are chasing the Flyers in an ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division and are now just four points back of the No. 3 spot. At 28-22-9, Washington holds two games in hand over 31-23-7 Philadelphia, and that race figures to go down to the wire.
“In the first period, we didn't play at all, didn't play our game,” Ovechkin explained after the crucial win. “I think they outchanced us, outhit us and win all the battles. I think [in the second period] we start the right way, we play simple, we set the tone right away and we see the result.”
Now with five wins in their last seven games, Alex Ovechkin and his Capitals are heating up at the perfect time. With 23 games to go, Washington controls its own destiny when it comes to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Caps are back in action against the lowly Arizona Coyotes on Sunday.
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