A hockey game broke out at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, during Alex Ovechkin’s quest for 895 NHL regular-season goals and first place in the NHL record books. The New York Islanders played a patient first period against the Washington Capitals, the top team in their division. Still, a powerplay opportunity in the middle frame led to a piece of NHL history as Ovechkin buried a shot behind Ilya Sorokin to overtake Wayne Gretzky. A lengthy delay ensued before the crucial contest resumed between the two Metropolitan Division foes. When the final horn sounded, the Islanders skated away with the critical two standings points following a 4-1 win over Washington, while the Capitals closed the book on Ovechkin’s “The Gr8 Chase.”
It was a good start for New York as the home squad took advantage of a supercharged atmosphere with two goals in the opening 10 minutes against Washington’s Charlie Lindgren. Bo Horvat scored on a wrist shot from a high-danger area in front of the crease that sailed past Lindgren into the net for the 1-0 lead. Less than two minutes later, Marc Gatcomb deflected a shot past Lindgren to quickly double the Islanders’ advantage to 2-0. The Capitals pushed back over the remaining half of the opening frame, but Washington could not solve Sorokin, as New York took the 2-0 lead into the first intermission break.
Islanders forward Casey Cizikas tripped Washington defender Rasmus Sandin for Washington’s first power play opportunity of the afternoon at 7:00 of the middle period. Ovechkin did not disappoint in his first chance with the man advantage. With all eyes pointed in his direction, Washington’s captain snapped a shot from his left circle office that sailed through traffic in front of Sorokin for Ovechkin’s 895th career regular-season goal. As expected, the Washington bench cleared to celebrate the impressive achievement of becoming first on the all-time goals list, and the Islanders honored the Russian star with a noble handshake at center ice.
ALEX OVECHKIN IS THE GREATEST GOALSCORER IN NHL HISTORY! 🚨🚨🚨 #Gr8ness pic.twitter.com/NKef3VvNaJ
— NHL (@NHL) April 6, 2025
Despite missing a month of action with a broken leg, Ovechkin sits third in the NHL in the race for the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy with 42 goals this season. Leon Draisatil has a sizeable lead in the race for the award at 52 goals for the Edmonton Oilers.
Related: Alex Ovechkin Breaks Wayne Gretzky’s Goal Record
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Gretzky, Ovechkin’s family, and others appeared on the ice to recognize the newest goal-scoring champion in the NHL in a mid-game ceremony. After a delay of roughly 20 minutes to honor the accomplishment, the black puck met the ice once again to resume hockey activities. Three minutes into the resumption of play, Matt Martin slipped a puck in front for Gatcomb, who buried his second goal of the afternoon for a 3-1 Islanders lead that New York took into the second intermission break. The 25-year-old rookie has eight goals in 33 games playing a bottom-six role on Long Island.
Four minutes into the third period, Jean-Gabriel Pageau was credited with his 13th goal of the season following a scramble play in front of the Capitals’ crease. Pageau swatted at a loose puck that slid under Lindgren as the Capitals goalie failed to make the stop. Despite a valiant attempt from Dylan Strome to stuff the puck back toward his netminder, the Capitals forward could not keep the puck from fully crossing the line for a 4-1 New York lead.
With the win, New York keeps their slim playoff dreams alive with a 33-32-10 record and 76 points in the standings. According to MoneyPuck, the Islanders entered Sunday with a 3.1% chance of making the NHL playoffs. However, New York will need help from the Montreal Canadiens, who improved their chances to 74.2% with a win last night. The Capitals are not under the same stress as their Eastern Conference counterparts. Washington clinched a postseason position a few weeks ago following a 3-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers.
