Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin snapped a two-game scoring drought, netting his 750th career goal Saturday against the Columbus Black Jackets. Coincidentally, the Capitals snapped their two-game losing streak with a 3-1 win.
Ovechkin beat Blue Jackets rookie goaltender Daniil Tarasov in the second period to extend Washington’s lead to 2-0.
Ovechkin is the fourth player in NHL history to score 750 goals. He is the second-fastest player to reach the goal milestone with 1,222 games. Only the legendary Wayne Gretzky did it faster with 1,001 games.
Additionally, Tarasov became the 152nd different goaltender Ovechkin has scored a goal on during his Hall of Fame career, according to the Capitals PR.
Ovechkin is 16 goals behind Jamir Jagr for third all-time on the goals list.
At the age of 36, Ovechkin now has 20 goals on the season for the 17th straight season. He’s the seventh player in league history to have such a streak. Only Gordie Howe (22 seasons) and Brendan Shanahan (19 seasons) have a longer streak.
Ovechkin’s goal scoring correlates with the Capitals’ success this season. The Capitals are 10-1-4 when Ovechkin scores a goal. In contrast, Washington is 5-3-2 when he doesn’t.
