(Caps Outsider)
There was a question if Alex Ovechkin would even play on Saturday considering he hasn’t practiced since he and his fellow Russian teammates were put in seclusion for breaking COVID protocols. Instead, he played and scored the overtime goal in a 4-3 game that the Capitals probably didn’t deserve to win.
With a 3-0 lead, but being badly outshot, the Caps had too much time to kill. The Bruins clawed their way back, scoring their third goal with the goalie pulled and sending the game into overtime. Much of the game was spent in the Caps’ zone, as the Bruins outshot the Caps 42-21 in regulation.
In overtime, Ovi did what Ovi does, scoring his second goal of the season, and the 708th of his career, which ties former Cap Mike Gartner for 7th place all-time. Ovi now trails Phil Esposito (717), Marcel Dionne (731), Brett Hull (741), Jaromir Jagr (766), Gordie Howe (801), and Wayne Gretzky (894) on the all-time goals list.
It was also Ovi’s 24th overtime game-winning goal, which is an all-time record. It was the 111th game-winning goal of his career, one better than Hull and Teemu Selanne. He trails Esposito (118), Howe (121), and Jagr (135) on that all-time list.
