With a goal in overtime, his 874th, Ovechkin scores on goalie no. 179

Alex Ovechkin broke an NHL record and, in doing so, moved one step closer to another on Thursday night.

The Washington Capitals star broke the mark for most goaltenders to score, beating Leevi Merilainen in overtime to give the Capitals a 1-0 victory over the Senators in Ottawa, Ontario.

Merilainen became the 179th goaltender Ovechkin scored against, breaking a tie with Jaromir Jagr atop the career list.

It was the first time Ovechkin scored an overtime goal in a 1-0 game in his career. It was also his 13th career overtime goal on the road, surpassing Jagr and John Tavares for the most goals in NHL history.

Of course, Ovechkin is aiming for an even bigger record: Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record. With number 874, he moved 21 points away from Gretzky’s mark of 894, which had long seemed unattainable.

The 39-year-old winger continues to score at a rate never seen before in hockey history. Ovechkin is on pace to reach 895 and beyond this spring.

Ovechkin’s goal against Ottawa was his 21st of the season in just his 29th game – he missed 16 games with a broken left leg. He reached 20 in his 20 seasons in the league, including 2013 when a lockout reduced it to 48 games and 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the schedule to 56 games.

Information from ESPN Research and the Associated Press was used in this report.