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Washington Capitals - Alex Ovechkin - In Play! magazine
Alex Ovechkin scored one of his team’s five goals and moved within one of reaching the 20-goal mark as the Capitals defeated the Blackhawks to move into a Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference standings. File photo: Tim Jarrold - In Play! magazine
10
Jan

NHL JANUARY 9, 2026 – OVECHKIN ADDS TO NHL RECORD

Alex Ovechkin, who scored to moved within one of his 21st career 20-goal season, as Washington (23-16-6, 52 points) defeated Chicago to overtake idle Pittsburgh (21-12-9, 51 points) and Buffalo (23-15-4, 50 points) for the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals captain found the back of the net against Drew Commesso in their first head-to-head meeting, increasing his NHL record for most unique goaltenders scored on to 187.

CONNOR, KELLER OF TEAM USA LEAD JETS, MAMMOTH TO VICTORY

Kyle Connor and Clayton Keller, who will represent Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 in just over a month, each helped their respective teams skate to victory Friday night.

  • Connor (0-1—1) and Mark Scheifele (2-0—2) combined on a goal for the 33rd time this season, tying Martin Necas and Nathan MacKinnon for the second-most instances by a pair of teammates behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (35). It also marked the 74th time that the duo combined on a power-play goal in their career, which tied Dustin Byfuglien and Blake Wheeler for the second-most instances in Jets/Thrashers history behind Ilya Kovalchuk and Vyacheslav Kozlov (82).
  • Keller (Chesterfield, Mo.) notched three assists against his hometown Blues and improved his career totals versus St. Louis to 15-26—41 (35 GP) – his highest point total against a single opponent. The Mammoth captain, who combined on a pair of goals with Nick Schmaltz (2-1—3), recorded his 16th multi-assist performance with Utah and tied Schmaltz for the most instances in franchise history.

RANGERS AND BRUINS FACE OFF IN SECOND ABC HOCKEY SATURDAY OF 2025-26

Several stars named to rosters for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will take the ice when the Rangers visit the Bruins at TD Garden for the second ABC Hockey Saturday broadcast of the season (1 p.m. ET), during a busy 14-game slate.

  • Mika Zibanejad, named to Team Sweden, is tied for the third-most points among all players since the turn of the calendar with 4-4—8 (3 GP) – five of which came during New York’s NHL-record sixth outdoor game victory on Jan. 2 in Miami (3-2—5). Zibanejad (116) needs one power-play goal to surpass Camille Henry and Chris Kreider for sole possession of the most in franchise history.
  • David Pastrnak, named to Team Czechia, enters Saturday one goal shy of 20 (19-30—49 in 39 GP) and can become the fourth Czech player to record 10 consecutive seasons with that many goals. He can join Jaromir Jagr (17 from 1990-91 to 2007-08), Milan Hejduk (11 from 1999-00 to 2010-11) and Petr Sykora (10 from 1998-99 to 2008-09).
  • Jeremy Swayman, who could tend Boston’s crease Saturday, is another Bruins player set to skate in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 for Team USA. Swayman is a Hockey Fights Cancer Champion who is making an impact in the space of cancer research and in the lives of families battling cancer. His impact can be felt beyond the ice.

FOUR-GAME HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA TAKES CENTER STAGE SATURDAY

Saturday’s 14-game slate features a quartet of games on Hockey Night in Canada, as Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs host the Canucks, Nick Suzuki and the Canadiens battle the Red Wings, Brady Tkachuk and the Senators clash with the Panthers and Connor McDavid and the Oilers face off against the Kings.

  • The Maple Leafs enter Saturday with a point in all four games they have played since the calendar flipped to 2026 (3-0-1), with Matthews’ six goals leading the League since Jan. 1. Toronto can record a point streak of five or more games from the start of a calendar year for just the fifth time in franchise history, following 1971 (6 GP; 4-0-2), 2024 (5 GP; 4-0-1), 1983 (5 GP; 4-0-1) and 1930 (5 GP; 3-0-2).
  • Suzuki, recently named to Team Canada, is set to skate in his 500th career game when the Canadiens host the Detroit Red Wings in an Original Six showdown. Suzuki can become the sixth player in NHL history to skate in 500 consecutive games to start their career, following Doug Jarvis (964 GP), Andrew Cogliano (830 GP), Andy Hebenton (630 GP), Billy Harris (576 GP) and Murray Murdoch (508 GP).
  • Tkachuk will look to score his 200th career goal when he takes the ice at Canadian Tire Centre tonight (199-226—425 in 535 GP). The Senators captain can become the sixth-fastest active American player to reach the milestone, following Matthews (338 GP), Kyle Connor (429 GP), Jake Guentzel (463 GP), Alex DeBrincat (473 GP) and Jack Eichel (522 GP).
  • McDavid will look to reach the 80-point mark on the season (29-48—77 in 44 GP) when he and the Oilers take on the Kings in a rematch of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. McDavid can become the fourth player in NHL history to record 10 consecutive 80-point campaigns, following Dale Hawerchuk (13 from 1981-82 to 1993-94), Wayne Gretzky (13 from 1979-80 to 1991-92) and Phil Esposito (11 from 1967-68 to 1977-78).

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Guest Writer