Jagr Has the NHL’s Game-Winning Goal Record. Will Ovechkin Pass Him?
Ovechkin Needs 10 GWGs, Which Could be Harder than 57
(Caps Outsider)
With a resurgence in goal-scoring recently, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin still has a realistic shot at passing Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goal record before the end of his contract in two seasons. Even without having the magic number of 895 goals, Ovi has earned other goal records, like most power play goals, and recently, most empty-net goals.
There’s one secondary goal-scoring record that will be somewhat difficult to get based on recent events. It’s the game-winning goal record, held by Jaromir Jagr, who has 135 to Ovi’s second-place total of 126. While ten goals doesn’t sound like a lot, the statistic has too much randomness that will make it hard for Ovi to overtake.
This season, Ovechkin has two game-winning goals, which isn’t a surprise considering he’s only got 16 total. But last year, he scored 42 goals, yet only three of those were game-winners. Again, this is not a surprise because the team wasn’t winning as many games than in previous seasons.
To get this record, assuming he retires at the end of his contract, Ovi will need to keep scoring a lot of goals, the Capitals will have to win more games, and he’ll have to have scoresheet luck that earns him the GWG. Only goals scored late in a tie game or in overtime are certain game-winners, and Ovi already has the OT goal record. Gretzky only has 91, good for 22nd all-time.
Oddly enough, Ovi can still break Gretzky’s record if the club doesn’t rack up a lot of wins, as his recent goal surge came while the team was playing .500 hockey.
Though it won’t be simple for Ovi to get the game-winning goal record, there’s one thing I’ve learned: Never bet against him.
