Alex Ovechkin netted two goals, reaching the 30-goal threshold for an unprecedented 20th time in his NHL tenure, as the Washington Capitals triumphed over the Philadelphia Flyers with a 6-4 victory on Tuesday evening.
This most recent notable 30-goal campaign for Ovechkin surpasses the next-closest competitor, Mike Gartner (who achieved it 17 times), by three instances, according to ESPN Research. He has accomplished this feat in every season except for one: the pandemic-truncated 2020-21 term, during which he registered 24 goals in 45 contests.
Ovechkin now stands with Gordie Howe (who managed it twice), Teemu Selanne, and Johnny Bucyk as the sole individuals in NHL annals to tally 30 goals in a single season at the age of 40 or above, as reported by ESPN Research.
His 30th and 31st markers signaled his 185th professional game with multiple goals; only Wayne Gretzky boasts a greater number, with 189 such performances.
Tom Wilson likewise notched a pair of goals, Jakob Chychrun contributed a goal and two helpers, and Ryan Leonard chipped in with a goal and an assist. Pierre-Luc Dubois dished out three assists for the Capitals, who have secured three consecutive victories as they endeavor to regain a playoff berth.
Travis Sanheim, Carl Grundstrom, Christian Dvorak, and Denver Barkey all found the back of the net, and Porter Martone made his NHL debut for the Flyers, whose three-game winning streak was brought to an end.
Towards the end of the opening period, Wilson’s attempt from the prime scoring area put Washington up 1-0 in his 900th career NHL match. Moments afterward, Ovechkin capitalized on Matt Roy’s cross-crease delivery to augment Washington’s advantage to 2-0.
The Flyers rallied at the start of the second period, leveling the match within a duration of 4:36 minutes courtesy of a blast from the point by Sanheim and a close-range effort from Grundstrom. Washington quickly counteracted, however, as Chychrun’s one-time shot on the power play restored the lead at 3-2. Leonard added another man-advantage tally later in the frame to re-establish a two-goal cushion for the Capitals.
While Dvorak narrowed the deficit to 4-3 at the outset of the final period, Ovechkin positioned himself in front and hammered in a one-time shot, reclaiming the two-goal margin with his 928th career goal.
The Associated Press provided material for this report.