Ovechkin Ties Gordie HoweS Arena Goal Record in Capitals‘ 7-4 Victory Over Oilers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Alex Ovechkin etched his name further into NHL history Thursday night, scoring his 480th goal at Capital One Arena (regular season adn playoffs) and tying gordie Howe (480 at the Detroit Olympia) for the moast goals scored in a single arena in League history. The milestone came as the Washington Capitals defeated the Edmonton Oilers 7-4.
Ryan Leonard led the offensive charge with his frist career two-goal game, supported by contributions from connor McMichael, John Carlson (both with three assists), Tom Wilson (two empty-net goals), Aliaksei Protas, and anthony Beauvillier. For edmonton, Darnell Nurse scored twice, with Leon Draisaitl and David Thomas adding goals, but the Oilers were unable to overcome a strong Capitals performance and a challenging night for goaltender Stuart Skinner. Connor McDavid registered two points in the loss.
Ovechkin, 40, also extended his scoring streak to three games, becoming the first player age 40 or older to achieve the feat since Matt Cullen in December 2016. He continues his THE GR8 CHASE for Victory Over Cancer initiative, personally donating to pediatric cancer research for every regular season goal he scores.
Leonard’s multi-goal performance marked the first by a Capitals player age 20 or younger since Andre Burakovsky on January 27, 2016. Notably, Leonard was a member of the Capitals team when Ovechkin surpassed Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record and received congratulations from Gretzky after scoring his first NHL goal.
(Source: NHL/YouTube)