Took him long enough.
NHL scores 2015: Alex Ovechkin joins NHL history with plenty left in his tank
Now that Fedorov is passed, Ovechkin can set his sights on The Great One.
Patrick Smith/Getty Images
It says something about Alex Ovechkin's greatness that four games without a goal feels like an eternity. Of course, it didn't help that he spent those four games on the cusp of one of the biggest moments of his storied career: breaking Sergei Fedorov's record for most goals scored by a Russian NHL player. Once upon a time his detractors would have chalked that up to some sort of inability to show up in big moments.
Now everyone knows better, and waited patiently for the historic moment to come. Ovechkin spent the last week telling reporters he kept forgetting about the record, but the look on his face when the goal arrived on Thursday against the Dallas Stars told the truth.
That’s 484 goals in 772 games for Ovechkin, 476 less games than it took Fedorov to reach the same milestone. Ovechkin is only 30 years old, so it’s not inconceivable he could make a run at Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL mark of 894. He’d have to average 50 or more goals for the next eight years, which seems impossible for anyone other than Ovechkin.
But Jaromir Jagr is living proof that legendary players can play into their 40s given good health and the blessing and mercy of Father Time. We can expect Ovechkin to make a run at Gretzky’s record while knocking down plenty of milestones along the way for the next decade. That will be a privilege to watch.
Scores
San Jose Sharks 1, Philadelphia Flyers 0 (OT)
Dallas Stars 3, Washington Capitals 2
St. Louis Blues 3, Buffalo Sabres 2 (SO)
3 things we learned
1. The Dallas Stars aren’t slowing down
That the Stars are improved from last year isn't surprising. With additions like Patrick Sharp, Antti Niemi and Johnny Oduya, it was inevitable Dallas would take another step toward playoff contention. But so far they've taken that step and trampled over the rest of the league. Dallas' 3-2 win in Washington was another test passed against a worthy opponent. They lead the entire NHL with 32 points and are off to the best start in franchise history:
Stars/North Stars franchise-best first 20-game records, as per tonight's broadcast: pic.twitter.com/nfCqRJLExR
— DefendingBigD (@DefendingBigD) November 20, 2015 The last time they played this well to start a season, it ended in glory.
2. Sidney Crosby’s new superstition paid off
Known for his ridiculously strict routines (same pregame sandwiches, same pregame walk, same stick taping rituals), people were alarmed when he changed things up on Thursday by taking his helmet off during warmups. Surely this would bring his career to an early end, right?
Wrong, at least for now. Crosby’s goal on Thursday happened to be the difference in a 4-3 win over the Avalanche. The Penguins have to be happy, but now the fear is Crosby will completely go off the deep end with the changes and sport decent-looking facial hair now or something.
— Stephanie (@myregularface) November 20, 2015 *shudders*
The horror.
3. Jarmo Kekalainen has finally had enough
Credit to the Blue Jackets general manager for keeping his cool through one of the worst stretches in franchise history. But he finally snapped on Thursday after an empty-net goal against.
Impact Moment
Could it be anything else?
reminder to self to dub this with dinosaur roars pic.twitter.com/PacQKFM2em
— Stephanie (@myregularface) November 20, 2015 Rookie of the Night
It has to go to Toronto Maple Leafs rookie William Nylander.
Wait, you mean he’s not in the NHL yet? Even though he’s second in AHL scoring, recorded a goal and three assists on Saturday and consistently scores beauties like these? Shouldn’t Brendan Shanahan fix this immediately? Have my unanswered rhetorical questions gotten my point across?
Stat of the Night
This might honestly be the craziest note of the season.
Chants of "Ovi" ringing out. Backstrom also assisted on Fedorov's record-breaking goal. Also against Dallas. lolz.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) November 20, 2015 Backstrom on assisting Fedorov's record-breaking goal, and now Ovechkin's: "Apparently, I like Russians."
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) November 20, 2015 See More:
