With the Capitals coming off a 6-3 loss to the Florida Panthers, and then down 2-0 in the third period to the New Jersey Devils on a day when the Caps sat in 15th place in the Eastern Conference standings, 40-year-old Alex Ovechkin almost single-handedly woke up Capital One Arena.
First, Ovi found Connor McMichael wide open in front of the net to get the Caps their first goal of the game, and later in the period, he scored himself to tie the game, giving him his fifth goal of the season and 902nd of his career.
The game went from being yet another ho-hum effort to a jolt of adrenaline for Chinatown.
With the goal, Ovechkin extended his NHL record for most game-tying goals in NHL history with 151, a record I didn’t even know he had until the Caps mentioned it. Dylan Strome recorded his 400th career point on Ovechkin’s goal. McMichael also assisted on the goal.
Unfortunately, Ovi missed on his shootout attempt, which would have put the Caps ahead, but there’s only so much he should be expected to do.
“O [Ovechkin] normally doesn’t shoot, but I’ll take responsibility for putting him in the shootout,” coach Spencer Carbery said, talking about Ovechkin’s struggles in the shootout, but rewarding him with the shot due to his productive third period.
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— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 16, 2025
