The Washington Capitals face their darkest hours in the 2024-25 NHL season, mired in a three-game losing skid during an otherwise immaculate campaign. Despite the attention being centered on his goals record chase, Alex Ovechkin issued a sincere message to his teammates after the defeat against the Buffalo Sabres.
Ovechkin scored his 890th NHL goal during the 8-5 loss at Capital One Arena, but it wasn’t enough to rally the team and mount a comeback as the Sabres had an offensive explosion on the Caps.
With his contribution to the scoreboard, ‘Ovi’ is now four tallies away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s record-setting 894 NHL goals. Five more and the record is Ovechkin’s, with no threat to dethrone him any time soon.
Despite his individual success and his chase for history overshadowing the Capitals’ recent slump, Ovechkin addressed his team’s current form after the loss to Buffalo, offering an honest yet optimistic statement.
Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals reacts after scoring a goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period of the game at Capital One Arena on October 31, 2024 in Washington, DC.
“We lost three in a row and maybe it’s a good thing it’s happening right now and not in the playoffs,”Ovechkin said about the Capitals’ winless drought, per NHL.com. “But we just have to bounce back, and we just have to find our way to win the games.”
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Team effort
Hockey is the ultimate team sport, no star can have success on its own, as it’s put on evidence night in and night out across the league. Though no teammate will have his name written along Ovechkin’s, when he breaks Gretzky’s record, everybody on the team is pushing for the 39-year-old captain to reach the milestone.
“He’s chasing something special,” Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas said. “He helped us get close in that game, but again, a couple mistakes cost us.”
Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal against the Buffalo Sabres during the third period at Capital One Arena on March 30, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Don’t poke the Russian bear
Prior to puck drop, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff jokingly stated, ‘I wouldn’t count him out [on scoring six goals against us to break the record].’ Though far from reality, his words carried some weight during the game, as the Capitals capitalized on two great looks from Ovechkin—one of which was tipped in by Pierre-Luc Dubois.
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Still, the fear that the 39-year-old might actually pull off the impossible surely crossed Ruff’s mind. “I was thinking when they started going in [that] he might get his six and I should have kept my mouth shut,” Ruff said.
SurveyWill Ovechkin break Gretzky\'s goals record during the 2024-25 NHL season?
Will Ovechkin break Gretzky\'s goals record during the 2024-25 NHL season?
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Ultimately, Ovechkin only managed to get one goal past James Reimer, one he’ll gladly take and hope to build on as he pursues immortality in the NHL’s record books.
