The Washington Capitals took a 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night in Raleigh. Alex Ovechkin inched closer to Wayne Gretzky’s scoring record, now just three goals away, but the Hurricanes clinched their playoff spot with two points.
ONLY THREE GOALS TO GO!
#Gr8Chase
Alex Ovechkin is THREE goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record! pic.twitter.com/sNMxto9YQX
— NHL (@NHL) April 3, 2025
The Hurricanes capitalized on two goals from rookie Jackson Blake, three power-play goals, and matched the Capitals’ physicality to cruise to the win at Lenovo Center.
Ovechkin scored late in the second period with Carolina leading 4-0, capitalizing on a 5-on-3 power play. His one-timer across the grain found the back of the net past Frederik Andersen (20 saves) with 35 seconds left in the frame. However, that was all the offense the Capitals, who lead the Eastern Conference, could muster against the Hurricanes, who trail them in the Metropolitan Division standings.
The Capitals rallied behind Tom Wilson, igniting multiple brawls that resulted in eight misconducts in the third period, 142 total penalty minutes, and plenty of tension between the two rivals.
The Hurricanes didn’t shy away from the Capitals’ physicality but let their play speak louder, seizing control early and never letting up. After Andersen denied Aliaksei Protas on a first-period rush, Carolina quickly responded with Sean Walker’s fifth goal of the season, blasting a slap shot past Logan Thompson (9 saves) at 6:14 of the opening period.
Alex Ovechkin’s historic season
Alex Ovechkin is having one of his more productive seasons in recent years. At 39 years old, he continues to consistently score at a high level, even after dealing with what may be his first major injury, which caused him to miss a notable stretch of games. Despite this, he is still putting up strong numbers.
Ovechkin’s stats may not immediately stand out as exceptional. They don’t compare to Nikita Kucherov’s 109 points in 69 games, which currently ties him for first in league scoring. Ovechkin has scored 64 points in 58 games this season, including 38 goals. These are strong numbers, particularly in terms of goals, for players who aren’t in their prime, like Kucherov.
By the end of the season, Ovechkin will likely finish with around 70 points and 40 goals, which remains impressive, especially considering his age. However, it’s worth noting that, for the first time in his career, Ovechkin missed a significant number of games this season. The question then arises—what might his numbers look like if he hadn’t missed that time?
If Ovechkin had played all 82 games this season, he would be on pace for approximately 53 goals and over 90 points. He hasn’t reached 53 goals or more since the 2014-15 season and has only surpassed 90 points once since the 2009-10 season. That standout 2009-10 campaign saw him score 109 points, with his highest mark since then being 90 points in the 2021-22 season.
“It’s fun to watch,” said Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis on Ovechkin’s pursuit of Gretzky’s record, “but our focus was clinching playoffs tonight, and we’re really happy that’s what we did.”
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