It’s a matter of when, not if, Alexander Ovechkin will set the record as the all-time leading goal scorer. There was genuine surprise that it didn’t happen on Friday (April 4) in the Washington Capitals’ 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. He scored twice to tie Wayne Gretzky but didn’t get the hat trick to cap off the night.
Related: Alex Ovechkin Scores Goal No. 894, Tying Wayne Gretzky’s Record
So, all the focus in the hockey world shifts to Sunday afternoon against the New York Islanders. The setting, to be frank, is anticlimactic. The game is at UBS Arena, a venue with minimal history, and it isn’t the Capitals’ home. On top of that, the game is a noon start time and not Sunday night, which would be the prime time to see the historic moment. Regardless, the goal will still be memorable and have the hockey world standing still.
The Islanders are a team where he’s bound to find the back of the net at some point. They are coming off a 3-1 win on April 3 against the Minnesota Wild, yet are a struggling group that has a minimal chance of making the playoffs. The only question is how Ovechkin will score the record-setter. Ideally, it’s a memorable goal, but the opposition won’t make it easy for that to happen, so let’s look at a few ways Ovechkin can find the back of the net on Long Island.
An Empty Net Goal
There’s no chance this is how Ovechkin breaks the record, or at least there’s less than a one percent chance this is how he does it. If he wanted to set the record with an empty-netter, it would have happened already in the game against the Blackhawks. Instead, with the net empty in the final minutes, Ryan Leonard scored his first NHL goal.
Aside from the blandness of an empty-netter, the other reason it won’t happen is that it would mean it took him so long to score. It would mean the Capitals would have a one-goal lead, but for 58 or 59 minutes of action, Ovechkin would be a non-factor. Considering how much he’ll be on the ice and how the Islanders have looked defensively, allowing 29 goals in the last seven games, it’s unlikely it will happen this way.
There’s only one reason Ovechkin would want to score on an empty net. It would be to get the record out of the way. It’s obvious that the chase is weighing on the Capitals, a team that’s only won two of their last six games. A goal, regardless of how it comes, would take the pressure off him and the team and allow them to focus on the playoffs and a Stanley Cup run.
When it comes to records and chasing greatness, history shows how much the moment and the pressure weigh on a player. Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record in 1961 at a big cost; his hair fell out, smoking cigarettes increased, and it took a toll on him. Maris was never the same afterward. Ovechkin isn’t taking the same heat from the fans or the press, and on the contrary, he’s been embraced for the most part by the hockey world. At the same time, he wants to break the record soon enough, and if it doesn’t happen on Sunday, it will happen in the next game, and it won’t matter how.
A Fluke Goal
Ilya Sorokin is putting together a great season and is one of the few bright spots for the Islanders, a team that has otherwise played poorly across the board. That said, one of his biggest weaknesses is shots from the point through traffic and deflected pucks. Sorokin doesn’t pick up the puck well when it’s shot from the blue line, and it’s allowed teams to find goals that often look like lucky bounces.
It might seem crazy for Ovechkin to score this way, with the puck just bouncing off his stick and into the net. However, it’s how he’s scored a lot of goals this season. According to NHL EDGE, 12 of his 41 goals have come in the high-danger areas. He’s getting into the dirty areas and waiting for the puck to find him.
The Capitals have defensemen who can put the puck on the net, notably Jakob Chychrun, who has 20 goals, and John Carlson, who has 50 points. So, a shot from the point can be deflected in or Ovechkin can collect the rebound and net it home. It’s not the type of goal everyone expects, but it wouldn’t be a surprise either.
Speaking of NHL EDGE, Ovechkin has scored 13 goals from the left faceoff circle. It’s a spot known as “Ovi’s Office” where he can find the puck in space and bury it past a goaltender out of position. It’s where he’s scored many of his memorable goals, leading to the ideal way for Ovechkin to score.
A Vintage Ovechkin Goal
Everyone is rooting for that iconic moment, that goal that will be replayed over and over again by fans and broadcasts alike. There’s a reason the Bobby Orr “Flying Goal” or Michael Jordan’s “The Shot” or “The Catch” by Willie Mays are remembered. It’s the big moment that is tied directly to an all-time great player. It’s what makes great legends.
That’s what the NHL wants with Ovechkin on the ice. The league and everyone watching want that one-timer from the faceoff dot on the power play. They want a goal where the 39-year-old star turns back the clock for one shift and turns on the jets to gash the Islanders on the rush the way he did in his younger days. They want a remarkable goal that few players in the game are capable of, something that should be impossible but isn’t because Ovechkin did it. Think about his goal in 2006 against the then-Phoenix Coyotes, which you have to watch at least once.
Heck, I just watched that goal at least five times before continuing with this article (ironically, Gretzky was in the arena for that goal as he was the Coyotes’ head coach; he should have known then and there his record wasn’t safe). Ovechkin might not score a goal like that, but there’s a good chance he provides everyone with a memorable one.
Sure, it might seem contrived as the Capitals keep him on the ice and constantly feed him the puck in the offensive zone, just as they did in the previous game. However, eventually, the Islanders will give him an open look or make a mistake, and Ovechkin will take advantage.
When Ovechkin Might Score
The goal should happen early on in the game. The Islanders are a team known for allowing early goals, as they often stumble out of the gate. The Capitals can take advantage and not only jump out to an early lead but also allow Ovechkin to find the back of the net in the first period.
Ovechkin will take the first shift and remain on the ice in the first few minutes with hopes of netting that big goal. The first period is when he’ll probably set the record, and it will allow the Capitals to do a big celebration and then play a normal game, which they haven’t been able to do in a while.
The other likely scenario is that the Capitals take an early lead, and with the game out of reach, they trot him out on the ice to set the record. If the score is 3-0 or 4-1 as the second period winds down or as the third period begins, then everyone will focus on letting him get the goal.
When do you think Ovechkin will set the record? How do you think he’ll score the goal? Let us know in the comments section below!
