NHL RECAP APRIL 6, 2025 – OVECHKIN COMPLETES THE GR8 CHASE, ACHIEVES NHL GR8NESS

Approximately 26 years after Wayne Gretzky scored his 894th and final career goal against the Islanders, Alex Ovechkin netted No. 895 against the same club and broke the NHL all-time goals record – a benchmark that was thought to be untouchable.

• Ovechkin became the 10th player all-time (since the first day of NHL play in 1917) to top the League in career goals (outright or tied) – and fittingly the eighth to do so in the 104 years since Feb. 23, 1921, when Joe Malone took a lead he would hold for nearly two years.
• Ovechkin began his career by scoring on 11 of the same goaltenders Gretzky had beat and has since scored against nearly half of all netminders that have played at least one game since he entered the League (49%; 183 of 372) – a total that increased following Sunday’s action after he beat Ilya Sorokin for the first time in four head-to-head meetings (1 G on 9 shots).
• A second five-game goal streak – a first by a player age 39 or older in one campaign in NHL history – and a guaranteed goals-per-game rate of at least 0.64 in 2024-25 – which matches that of his 20-year-old rookie season – has helped shape his route to NHL immortality. The Capitals captain now sits five goals shy of becoming the first in League history to reach the once-unimaginable 900-goal milestone with five games remaining in the regular season.

A MOMENT OF CELEBRATION AT UBS ARENA

Chants of ‘Ovi, Ovi, Ovi’ echoed throughout UBS Arena as 17,255 fans experienced the moment of a lifetime and celebrated Alex Ovechkin as the greatest goal scorer in NHL history. Following a congratulatory handshake with each Islanders player, the Capitals captain was joined at center ice by his family, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Wayne Gretzky and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis to commemorate his incredible accomplishment with a one-of-its-kind painting.

OVECHKIN GOT BY WITH THE HELP OF HIS FRIENDS

Tom Wilson and Dylan Strome etched themselves into a part of NHL history as the duo accounted for the pair of assists on Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal. Wilson, who has skated alongside Ovechkin since 2013-14 and also captured the Stanley Cup with his captain in 2018, became the sixth teammate to collect at least 50 career assists on an Ovechkin tally.

• Strome has been Ovechkin’s biggest set-up man so far in 2024-25, dishing to him 21 times this season – the ninth time a teammate has set him up that much in one campaign and most since 2021-22 (Evgeny Kuznetsov: 23).
• Longstanding teammates T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom were also on hand Sunday and joined in on the dressing room post-game celebration. Backstrom last appeared in an NHL game on Oct. 29, 2023 and last assisted on an Ovechkin tally on March 6, 2023. His 279 career assists in that scenario are the fourth most by one teammate in NHL history – a list led by Wayne Gretzky (364 w/ Jari Kuri).

AROUND THE RINKS FROM THE REST OF SUNDAY

• Lane Hutson factored on the game-winning goal to help the Canadiens (38-30-9, 85 points) open a five-point lead for the East’s second Wild Card seed. Hutson matched Chris Chelios (58 in 1988-89) for the fourth-highest single-season assist total by a Canadiens defenseman and tied Brian Leetch and Larry Murphy (60) for the most career helpers by a rookie blueliner in NHL history.
• Linus Ullmark stopped all 30 shots faced as the Senators became the third team in the past five years to register 10 or more shutouts in a single season (also 2021-22 Flames: 11 & 2020-21 Islanders: 10). Ottawa, which moved within two points of Florida for third place in the Atlantic Division, extended its home shutout streak to 153:00 – the franchise’s longest stretch since a run of 154:53 from March 23 to April, 8, 2017.
• Marco Rossi scored 58 seconds into overtime to lift the Wild (42-29-7, 91 points) to victory and open up a six-point cushion on the idle Flames (36-27-13, 85 points) for the second Wild Card position in the Western Conference; Calgary owns two games in hand. Rossi netted Minnesota’s third goal in the opening minute of overtime this season, tied for the second most among all teams and behind just Ottawa (6x).
• David Pastrnak followed up his five-game outing Saturday with a three-assist night Sunday but he was out done by Tage Thompson, whose hat trick lifted the Sabres over the Bruins – with every hat trick this season, AstraZeneca will donate $3,000 to the Hockey Fights Cancer Fund of the V Foundation up to $300,000. Pastrnak has now factored on 11 straight Bruins goals dating to April 1 – the most in franchise history – and became the first Bruins player since Joe Thornton (1-5—6 from Oct. 16-17, 2002) with three or more points on consecutive days.

LEAGUE’S TOP TEAM, BEST TEAM SINCE 4 NATIONS FACE-OFF BREAK CLASH ON PRIME

Prime Monday Night Hockey will feature the League’s top team, the Jets (52-21-4, 108 points), welcoming the NHL’s hottest club in the Blues (42-28-7, 91 points), who occupy the first Wild Card spot in the West but have the most points (38) and wins (18) among all teams since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off break. The meeting could be a 2025 First Round matchup, which would mark the second all-time playoff meeting between the clubs after St. Louis claimed a 4-2 series victory during the 2019 First Round, en route to the franchise’s first ever Stanley Cup championship.

• The Blues, who set a franchise record for longest winning streak on Saturday, will look to extend their run to 13 games and tie the eighth longest in NHL history. St. Louis would become the seventh team in the past 20 years to post a winning streak of that length. The 2023-24 Oilers (16 GP), 2016-17 Blue Jackets (16 GP), 2012-13 Penguins (15 GP), 2009-10 Capitals (14 GP), 2022-23 Devils (13 GP) and 2021-22 Panthers (13 GP) are the six to do so.
• Connor Hellebuyck enters the contest as the NHL leader in wins (43) and save percentage (.924; min. 15 GP) this season. He owns an all-time record of 16-6-2 against the Blues, which is tied with the Avalanche and Canucks for his third-most wins against a single franchise. The only teams he has more victories against are the Blackhawks (19-7-1) and Predators (17-9-2).

LOOK AHEAD TO THE LAST FULL WEEK OF THE REGULAR SEASON

The last full week of the regular season will include a number of high-stake games with six playoff spots still up for grabs and not a single matchup for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs yet to be secured:

Tuesday, April 8 – Atlantic Division Rivals Clash in First Game of ESPN Doubleheader

• The first game of an ESPN doubleheader will feature the first-place Maple Leafs visiting the third-place Panthers with both teams still in the race for the Atlantic Division title. The rivals will clash for the final time during the 2024-25 regular season, but could meet in the 2025 First Round. It will close with the Avalanche welcoming the Golden Knights – Colorado forward Nathan MacKinnon will continue to push for his first Art Ross Trophy, entering the week with a three-point lead over Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov, while Vegas forward Jack Eichel is on pace for the first 100-point season of his career and in Golden Knights history.

Wednesday, April 9 – Postseason Pushes Continue During TNT Doubleheader

• The Maple Leafs and Lightning will meet on Sportsnet in what will be Toronto’s second consecutive game against a division rival and Tampa Bay’s first of four straight – the two teams enter the week separated by four points. A doubleheader on TNT, Max and truTV will begin with the Flyers visiting the Rangers and be capped by the Oilers hosting the Blues. Edmonton is trying to reach 100 points for the fourth consecutive season – its longest stretch since a six-season run from 1981-82 to 1986-87 – while the Blues continue their playoff push.

Thursday, April 10 – Ovechkin Plays First Game as NHL Goal Scoring Leader on ESPN+, Hulu

• Alex Ovechkin will play his first full game as the NHL goal scoring leader when the top two seeds in the Metropolitan go head-to-head for the second time in just nine days. Ovechkin enters tied with Dave Andreychuk (52) for second in all-time scoring against the Hurricanes/Whalers and trails only Michel Goulet (62).

Friday April 11 – A Big Eastern Conference Wild Card Seed Showdown

• The two teams who enter the week in the Eastern Conference Wild Card spots will be on display when the Senators (WC1) and Canadiens (WC2) meet on Sportsnet. The Senators are looking for their first playoff appearance since 2017 when they went to the Conference Finals, while the Canadiens eye their first since their 2021 Stanely Cup Final run.

Saturday, April 12 – National Games on ABC, ESPN+, Hockey Night in Canada

• An ABC Hockey Saturday doubleheader (also available on ESPN+) begins with the first game of a back-to-back, home-and-home between the Capitals and Blue Jackets – where Zach Werenski will continue his franchise record-breaking season as he makes a case for the club’s first Norris Trophy – and close with an Eastern Conference matchup between the Hurricanes and Rangers which will see Carolina pushing for its fourth consecutive 100-point season.
• The final regular-season instalment of Hockey Night in Canada will include two notable games: the Canadiens and Maple Leafs will meet for the final time this season as Auston Matthews inches closer to 400 career goals (2 away) and Cole Caufield tries to become the first Canadiens skater with a 40-goal season in over 30 years (4 away); the Wild will visit the Canucks where the Western Conference Wild Card race will be on display – Minnesota aims to hold onto a Wild Card spot and return to the postseason, while Vancouver focuses on getting back above the playoff line.

Sunday, April 13 – Avalanche Close Out Regular Season in Anaheim on ESPN

• The Avalanche close out their regular season when they visit the Ducks, whom they own an active seven-game point streak against (6-0-1 dating to March 27, 2023). Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar can combine for the second instance in the past 30 years of a team finishing the season with a player atop the League standings in scoring and scoring by a defenseman after Edmonton did it in 2020-21 (Connor McDavid & Tyson Barrie). Another notable contest from Sunday will be the Islanders meeting the Devils for the first game of a TNT, Max, truTV doubleheader – a game that will mark the final meeting between the Metropolitan clubs this season.

Ovechkin, Suzuki and Thomas Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ of the Week

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki and St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending April 6.

FIRST STAR – ALEX OVECHKIN, LW, WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Ovechkin dethroned Wayne Gretzky as the NHL’s all-time goals leader, registering his 895th career goal to cap a five-goal week – during which he scored in every game (5-1—6 in 4 GP) – as the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals (49-19-9, 107 points) split their four contests. Ovechkin posted 1‑1—2, including an assist on Tom Wilson’s decisive goal, in a 4-3 victory against the Boston Bruins April 1. He then notched Washington’s lone goal in a 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes April 2. Ovechkin tied Gretzky with a two-goal effort, the 179th multi-goal performance of his career, in a 5-3 triumph over the Chicago Blackhawks April 4. He also extended his own League record by reaching the 40-goal milestone for the 14th time and added his 136th career game-winning goal to surpass Jaromir Jagr for the most in NHL history. Ovechkin completed his prolific week by scoring his 895th goal – at 7:26 of the second period in a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders April 6 – to break Gretzky’s all-time goals record, a mark “The Great One” owned since March 23, 1994. The 39-year-old Ovechkin, the 10th player to hold the League’s career goals record (outright or tied), ranks fourth in the NHL with 42 total goals this season despite missing 16 contests due to injury (42-27—69 in 61 GP). The nine-time Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner owns a five-game goal streak dating to March 30 (6-3—9), his second such run of that length in 2024-25 (also Oct. 29 – Nov. 7: 6-3—9 in 5 GP). Only two other players in League history have recorded a single five-game goal streak at age 39 or older: Brett Hull (7 GP in 2003-04 w/ DET) and Johnny Bucyk (6 GP in 1974-75 w/ BOS).

SECOND STAR – NICK SUZUKI, C, MONTREAL CANADIENS

Suzuki collected 4-3—7, including a pair of game-winning goals, in four appearances to help the Canadiens (38-30-9, 85 points) extend their winning streak to five games dating to March 30 as they created a six-point buffer for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. He scored twice, highlighted by his sixth career overtime goal (and fifth of the season), in a 3-2 victory against the Florida Panthers April 1. Suzuki then registered 1-1—2 in each of his next two outings, a 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins April 3 and a 3-2 triumph versus the Philadelphia Flyers April 5 (featuring his ninth game-winning goal of the campaign). The Montreal captain stretched his point streak to five contests (5-5—10) with one assist in a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators April 6, marking the team’s second five-game winning streak of 2024-25 (also Feb. 22 – March 3). The 25-year-old Suzuki places 13th in the NHL with 27-57—84 through 77 total games this season, the most points by a Canadiens player since Alex Kovalev in 2007‑08 (35-49—84 in 82 GP). He also sits among the 2024-25 League leaders in overtime goals (t-2nd; 5), game-winning goals (t-3rd; 9) and assists (t-9th; 57).

THIRD STAR – ROBERT THOMAS, C, ST. LOUIS BLUES

Thomas compiled 2-5—7 and two game-winning goals in three contests as the Blues (43-28-7, 93 points) extended their winning streak to a franchise-record 12 games to climb into the first Wild Card position in the Western Conference. He picked up the lone assist on Cam Fowler’s overtime winner as St. Louis rallied for a 2-1 triumph against the Detroit Red Wings April 1. Thomas then scored the decisive goal in each of the Blues’ next two games, posting 1-1—2 (highlighted by his third career overtime winner) in a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins April 3 followed by 1-3—4 (his seventh career four-point performance) in a 5-4 win versus the Colorado Avalanche April 5. The 25-year-old Thomas, who leads the NHL with 4-19—23 since March 15 (the start of St. Louis’ 12-game winning streak), paces the Blues with 21-54—75 through 66 total appearances this season.