Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin scores goal No. 890, now five away from NHL record

Washington Capitals’ forward Alex Ovechkin scored his 37th goal of the season against the Buffalo Sabres Sunday afternoon, giving him his 890th career goal and putting him just five away from Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goals record.

Ovechkin scored midway through the third period with the Capitals down 6-3. Defenseman Rasmus Sandin threw the puck on net and the Washington captain tipped it past James Reimer to make it 6-4.

The Sabres would end up winning the game 8-5. The Capitals have now lost three straight games.

Ovechkin finished the game with a goal and two assists, giving him 37 goals and 26 assists for 63 points in 57 games. The future Hockey Hall of Famer now has 890 goals and 723 assists for 1,613 points in 1,483 career NHL games. Ovechkin is second on the all-time goals list, as well as being 11th on the all-time points list.

In Ovechkin’s 20 NHL years, he recorded nine 50-goal seasons, including one 65-goal season in 2007-08. The 39-year-old won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for most goals in a season nine times, as well as the Hart Trophy for the regular season’s most valuable player three times. When he captained Washington to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2018, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP.

Following Sunday’s loss to the Sabres, the Capitals are 47-17-9 with 103 points, first in the Metropolitan Division, the Eastern Conference and second overall in the NHL. Their plus-70 goal differential is first in the East and second overall in the league.

The Capitals’ next game is Tuesday against the Boston Bruins, followed by the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders.