Together 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 gave the impression to be a primary alternative to interrupt it and grow to be the NHL’s all-time main goal-scorer within the last minute when the Blackhawks pulled goalie Spencer Knight for an additional attacker.
However Ovechkin didn’t get the aim empty-net aim, with that honor as an alternative going to rookie Ryan Leonard for his first NHL aim.
That was not an accident, and it was very a lot by design.
Ovechkin merely didn’t need his record-breaking aim to return and not using a goalie within the internet.
On one hand, it is vitally admirable — and never shocking — that Ovechkin desires the document to be damaged towards a goalie. Maybe even on considered one of his signature one-timers from the circle on the facility play, or some type of spotlight reel play that can be remembered.
An empty-net aim would take away a few of the luster from the second.
Not all of it. However actually a few of it.
However it was additionally an ideal alternative to interrupt the document on what would have been a hat-trick aim, and in entrance of the hometown followers in Washington. All of that may have actually 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 a way he desires this second to go. If he goes a number of extra video games this season with out scoring a aim he might change his thoughts on that imaginative and prescient.
Now the Capitals are occurring the street for Sunday’s sport on the New York Islanders, creating the chance for Ovechkin to interrupt the document on the street. Capitals followers actually don’t care the place he does it, however doing it at house would have actually 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 house on Thursday towards the Carolina Hurricanes. Of the Capitals’ six remaining common season video games this season, solely two extra of them are at house.
