Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice is well aware that Washington Capitals sniper Alex Ovechkin is approaching Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record — and he knows exactly how to shut the Russian down when the two heavyweight Eastern Conference teams meet in the nation’s capital on Saturday evening.
“We’re just going to try and keep the big guy under seven [goals],” Maurice said ahead of the game, according to Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards. “Keep him under seven, then we can get out of town.”
Ovechkin currently sits at 888 goals, and is seven away from Gretzky’s 894. Luckily for Maurice, that record is not going to be broken on Saturday.
Still, the Great Eight has managed a ridiculous 35 goals in 53 games in 2024-25, and he sits on the brink of hockey history with 13 games left in Washington’s regular-season. Ovechkin has scored 45 of his 888 goals against the Panthers over 73 total contests — the sixth most the 39-year-old has tallied against any NHL franchise.
He has amassed 56 against the Winnipeg Jets, 52 against the Philadelphia Flyers, 51 against the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning, and 46 against the New York Rangers.
This is the last time the two powerhouse clubs will meet this year — unless both are able to get out of the first two rounds in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals are the first team to clinch a playoff spot, and with 100 points already, are destined to finish first in the Metropolitan Division.
The Panthers currently occupy the top seed in the Atlantic, but the hold is precarious with just over three weeks left in the regular-season.
Panthers-Capitals would be a thrilling Eastern Conference Final
Last season, Washington was the last team to advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs before being easily swept by the New York Rangers in Round 1. This time around, they’re battling for the President’s Trophy and looking like one of the National Hockey League’s top teams.
The Panthers have come out of the Eastern Conference in each of the last two seasons, losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final before finally winning the franchise’s inaugural championship — in a thrilling Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers — last year.
All that to say, a Capitals-Panthers ECF would be a salivating prospect for hockey fans.
Currently in a dogfight in the Atlantic, Florida is trying hard to win the division and avoid playing one of the Tampa Bay Lightning or Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 1. Both of those teams have won three games in a row, although the Cats have managed to come out on top in eight of their last 11.
Washington is 2-0 against Florida this season, including a 6-3 victory in their last meeting on February 4. Whether or not the two behemoths are able to make it out of their respective divisions in the playoffs, they are undoubtedly two of the best teams in the East — if not the two best.
Puck is set to drop just past 5:00 p.m. ET from Capital One Arena in Washington on Saturday.
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