NHL NEWS DECEMBER 24, 2022 – HAVE YOURSELF AN “OVI” LITTLE CHRISTMAS

After beating David Rittich with 1:38 remaining in the first period for goal No. 801, Alex Ovechkin netted No. 802 into an empty net with 60 seconds left in regulation to overtake Gordie Howe (801 in 1,767 GP) the second-most goals in NHL history. It’s only fitting the Capitals captain accomplished the feat against the Jets/Thrashers franchise – an opponent he has scored more against than any other (53 in 71 GP).

• Following an on-ice celebration with his teammates, players on both sides and all 18,573 fans in attendance at Capital One Arena turned their attention to the jumbotron as the son of Mr. Hockey himself – Mark Howe – congratulated Ovechkin on his monumental milestone.
• In his first-ever meeting against Rittich, Ovechkin has now scored against 166 different goaltenders. Thursday marked the 90th time of 192 opportunities the Capitals captain has scored against a netminder he faced for the first time (regular season & playoffs) and fifth in 2022-23 following Spencer Martin (2-0—2 on Nov. 29), Felix Sandstrom (1-1—2 on Nov. 23), Stuart Skinner (1-1—2 on Nov. 7) and Vitek Vanecek (1-0—1 on Oct. 24).

Each member of the Jets stayed behind after the final horn to congratulate Alex Ovechkin individually, who when asked how he was going to celebrate No. 802 responded: “Going to a bar right now, hot dog, nachos, you know. Why not?”

ON TO THE GREAT ONE

For just over 31 years, two legendary names stood tall as the top two goal scorers in NHL history: Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe. But now, Alex Ovechkin (802) sits within 92 goals of tying Gretzky (894) for the most in League history.

• Ovechkin is the first person other than Gretzky or Howe to occupy a top-two spot on that list since Dec. 21, 1991 – the day Gretzky scored his 732nd career goal to overtake Marcel Dionne (731) for second place in League history.
• The Capitals captain has produced at a 0.61 goals-per-game rate this season, equal to his pace across his past 10 seasons dating to 2013-14. Should Ovechkin continue at that rate it would take The Great Eight approximately 153 regular-season games to pass The Great One – somewhere around the halfway mark of the 2024-25 season.
• The latest Alex Ovechkin #NHLStats Pack is now available, with eight questions looking ahead to The Great Eight’s future. Click here for everything you need to know.

McDAVID HITS 30 GOALS AND MORE

As Alex Ovechkin made NHL history, Connor McDavid became the first player to reach the 30-goal mark this season.

• David Pastrnak (2-0—2) scored his 263rd and 264th career tallies during a four-goal second period for Boston to tie Bobby Orr for 10th place on the Bruins’ all-time list. Boston improved to 27-4-2 (56 points) and became just the seventh different team in NHL history to record at least 56 points before Christmas, with two of those clubs going on to win the Stanley Cup (ANA in 2006-07 & MTL in 1976-77).
• Jason Roberston assisted on two of four unanswered goals for Dallas to become the fourth player to reach the 50-point mark this season (24-26—50 in 35 GP). Only two players in Stars/North Stars history also reached the mark in 35 contests or fewer: Dino Ciccarelli (28 GP in 1986-87 & 35 GP in 1987-88) and Bobby Smith (30 GP in 1981-82 & 34 GP in 1979-80).
• The Hurricanes managed to hold off a three-goal, third-period rally from the Flyers to earn their eighth straight victory – the longest active winning streak in the NHL – and established a franchise record for the longest point streak as they stretched it to 14 games (12-0-2).
• Connor McDavid became the first player this season to reach 30 goals as he extended a point streak to 15 or more games for the third time in his career (also 17 GP & 15 GP in 2021-22). The only active player with as many is Patrick Kane (26 GP in 2015-16, 20 GP in 2018-19 & 15 GP 2019-20).

NHL RETURNS FROM HOLIDAY BREAK ON TUESDAY

The NHL will return from a three-day Holiday Break with a 12-game slate on Tuesday, Dec. 27 that includes two American scoring sensations squaring off exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu when Johnny Gaudreau (10-24—34 in 32 GP) and the Blue Jackets host Tage Thompson (26-24—50 in 32 GP) and the Sabres.

Ovechkin, Georgiev and Pettersson Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ of the Week

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, Colorado Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev and Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Dec. 25, 2022.

FIRST STAR – ALEX OVECHKIN, LW, WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Ovechkin registered 2-4—6 in three games to propel the Capitals (19-13-4, 32 points) to a perfect week and pass Gordie Howe for second on the NHL’s all-time goals list. He opened the week with an assist on the Washington marker that kick-started a multi-goal comeback in a 4-3 overtime victory over the Detroit Red Wings Dec. 19 and added another pair of helpers in a 3-2 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators Dec. 22. Ovechkin capped the week by creating a historic night at Capital One Arena in Washington, recording 2-1—3 in a 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets that included goal No. 801 with 1:38 remaining in the first period to tie Howe and goal No. 802 into an empty net with 60 seconds remaining in the final frame to surpass ‘Mr. Hockey” for the second-most goals in NHL history. Ovechkin (22-19—41 in 36 GP), who leads all Capitals skaters and ranks seventh in the NHL with 22 goals in 2022-23, is on pace for his 10th career 50-goal season and now sits 93 tallies shy of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record for the most goals in NHL history.

SECOND STAR – ALEXANDAR GEORGIEV, G, COLORADO AVALANCHE

Georgiev led the NHL in wins (3) – all of which required extra time – while stopping 82 of the 85 shots he faced to post a 3-0-0 record for the week (0.94 GAA, .965 SV%, 1 SO) and help the Avalanche (19-11-2, 40 points) move into third place in the Central Division. He opened the week by stopping all 26 shots he faced to record his 10th career shutout in a 1-0 shootout win over the New York Islanders Dec. 19. Georgiev then made 19 saves in a 2-1 overtime triumph over the Montreal Canadiens Dec. 21 followed by a 37-save performance in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Nashville Predators Dec. 23. The 26-year-old Georgiev, who was acquired by Colorado in a trade prior to the 2022-23 campaign, ranks among the top-10 goaltenders this season in wins (15; t-5th), goals-against average (2.36; 6th) and save percentage (.925; 6th).

THIRD STAR – ELIAS PETTERSSON, C, VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Pettersson tied for the League lead in assists and points with 2-5—7 in two games to help lift the Canucks (15-15-3, 33 points) to a 2-1-0 week. Pettersson did not play in Vancouver’s 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues Dec. 19 due to illness. He returned to the lineup with 2-3—5, including three points in the third period capped by a game-tying goal with 1:20 remaining in regulation, in an eventual 6-5 shootout win over the Seattle Kraken Dec. 22. It marked the fourth time Pettersson recorded five or more points in a game, breaking a tie with Alexander Mogilny (3x) for the most five-point outings in franchise history. He closed the week with two assists in a 5-2 triumph over the Edmonton Oilers Dec. 23. The 24-year-old forward leads all Canucks skaters in 2022-23 with 15-26—41 in 31 games which includes a team-high 13 multi-point performances.