Alex Ovechkin inched closer to NHL history on Tuesday night, scoring his 878th career goal in the Washington Capitals 6-3 victory over the Florida Panthers at Capital One Arena. Ovechkin’s tally came on an empty-net goal with just one second remaining, moving him within 17 goals of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL record of 894.
Ovechkin has now scored in three consecutive games and has 25 goals on the season. The victory extended Washington’s home point streak to 14 games (10-0-4), though they had lost their previous two contests in overtime.
The Capitals (35-11-7) got contributions from multiple players, including Nic Dowd, who registered a goal and two assists. Goaltender Logan Thompson was solid between the pipes, making 30 saves.
On the other side, the Panthers (32-20-3) had their three-game winning streak snapped. Sam Bennett led Florida with a goal and an assist, while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 20 shots in the loss.
Washington struck first at 14:08 when Andrew Mangiapane received a pass from Rasmus Sandin in the left circle, spun, and fired a shot over Bobrovsky’s right shoulder to make it 1-0. Florida responded late in the period, with Bennett tying the game 1-1 at 19:30. Jesper Boqvist intercepted a Sandin pass and set up Bennett in front, where he scored on a backhander after Thompson stopped his initial attempt.
Tom Wilson restored Washington’s lead early in the second, scoring a shorthanded goal at 1:15. Aliaksei Protas entered the zone on a 2-on-1 rush and slid the puck between Matthew Tkachuk’s skates to Wilson, who one-timed it past Bobrovsky for a 2-1 lead.
The Panthers quickly answered as Aleksander Barkov, who will captain Finland in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, tied the game at 2-2 at 4:14. Barkov broke free on a breakaway after taking a pass from Carter Verhaeghe and fended off Jakob Chychrun before scoring with a backhand shot.
Lars Eller put Washington back on top at 2:19 of the third, seizing a loose puck in the neutral zone, splitting the defense, and lifting a shot over Bobrovsky’s outstretched right pad for a 3-2 advantage.
Dowd extended the lead to 4-2 at 6:10, tipping in a centering pass from Mangiapane on the rush during a delayed penalty call.
Tkachuk, who will represent Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, pulled Florida within 4-3 at 7:46, scoring from the right face-off dot off a feed from Nate Schmidt. The goal extended Tkachuk’s scoring streak to four games.
Protas put the game out of reach with an empty-net goal at 18:21, and Ovechkin sealed the win with his milestone goal just before the final buzzer.
With Ovechkin continuing his pursuit of Gretzky’s record, the Capitals will look to maintain their strong form as they push toward the postseason. Meanwhile, the Panthers will aim to bounce back as they continue their playoff chase in the Eastern Conference.