Along with his two objectives on Friday night time in a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, Washington Capitals celebrity Alexander Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record with 894 goals scored. He had what appeared to be a main alternative to interrupt it and develop into the NHL’s all-time main goal-scorer within the remaining minute when the Blackhawks pulled goalie Spencer Knight for an additional attacker.
However Ovechkin didn’t get the purpose empty-net purpose, with that honor as an alternative going to rookie Ryan Leonard for his first NHL purpose.
That was not an accident, and it was very a lot by design.
Ovechkin merely didn’t need his record-breaking purpose to come back with no goalie within the web.
On one hand, it is extremely admirable — and never stunning — that Ovechkin desires the document to be damaged towards a goalie. Maybe even on one among his signature one-timers from the circle on the ability play, or some form of spotlight reel play that might be remembered.
An empty-net purpose would take away a few of the luster from the second.
Not all of it. However definitely a few of it.
But it surely was additionally an ideal alternative to interrupt the document on what would have been a hat-trick purpose, and in entrance of the hometown followers in Washington. All of that will have definitely made up for the dearth of a goalie.
However that didn’t matter to Ovechkin, who clearly has a imaginative and prescient in thoughts for the way he desires this second to go. If he goes a number of extra video games this season with out scoring a purpose he could change his thoughts on that imaginative and prescient.
Now the Capitals are occurring the highway for Sunday’s recreation on the New York Islanders, creating the chance for Ovechkin to interrupt the document on the highway. Capitals followers definitely don’t care the place he does it, however doing it at dwelling would have definitely added one other layer of pleasure to the second.
If he doesn’t break the document on Sunday towards the Islanders, the Capitals will return dwelling on Thursday towards the Carolina Hurricanes. Of the Capitals’ six remaining common season video games this season, solely two extra of them are at dwelling.
