It took until the dying moments of the second period in their fifth game of the season, but the Washington Capitals finally notched their first power-play goal of the season. The goal was a milestone, as it was the 3,000th power-play-goal in franchise history.
The goal was also significant for the scorer. Alex Ovechkin, already the NHL’s record holder for most goals scored on the man advantage, netted the 300th of his career. That also means Ovechkin has scored one in ten power play goals in franchise history, despite not making his debut until the franchise’s 31st season.
“It’s insane. It’s kind of beyond comprehension, at times what he does,” Tom Wilson said. “Pretty cool to witness all the milestones he’s hit and is going to hit.”
Ovechkin scored a personal high 25 power-play goals in 2014-15 while his personal low is seven during the 2010-11 season, according to hockey reference.
The goal also marked Ovechkin’s first goal against Joseph Woll, making him the 170th different goaltender to allow a goal to Ovechkin. The only two players to have scored against more goalies are Jaromir Jagr (178) and Patrick Marleau (177).
On his milestone, Ovechkin didn’t have much to say other than “it’s 300” after the team fell 4-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Dating back to the 1977-78 season, the furthest back stats go on the NHL’s website, the Capitals have scored on just under one-in-five power plays.
The Capitals’ franchise high for power-play goals in a season was during the 1992-93 season which saw the team score 97 goals a man up. The team’s highest percentage came during the 2012-13 shortened season where they converted on 26.8% (44 goals on 164 chances) of opportunities; for a full season, the record high was in 2014-15 where the team scored on 25.3% (60 on 237) of chances. The franchise low for total power play goals, dating back to 1977-78, came in the 1977-78 season. The team scored on the man advantage just 34 times. The team’s lowest percentage came that same season as they scored their 34 goals on 272 chances, for a putrid 11.5%.
In the Ovechkin era, the fewest power-play goals scored came in the COVID-19 affected, 56-game 2020-21 season where the team converted just 38 power plays into goals. The second lowest came in the 2011-12 season when the team scored 41. Percentage wise, the worst power play during the Ovechkin era came in his rookie year where the team converted on just 14.7% (72 of 490) of power plays.
