Double, repetition of a record and applause to the goalkeeper: Ovechkin caught up with Lemieux on goals in most of the NHL matches

For Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin, the next game of the National Hockey League has turned out to be rich in events and new achievements. His Washington Capitals club met Montreal Canadiens on the road in the regular season.

Ovechkin's team was not the clear favorite of this meeting - before the starting throw-in, she was four points behind the future opponent in the standings. In addition, “Washington” could not count on its two leaders - Yevgeny Kuznetsov and TJ Oshi did not recover after a meeting with Winnipeg Jets, in which both were injured after power moves. The main goalkeeper of “Washington” Brayden Holtby also got sick, which is why the not very experienced Phoenix Colley started the meeting with “Montreal” again.

In such situations, the club is very dependent on its captain, and Ovechkin tried to lead the team. After the puck missed in the opening, the Russian brought the Capitals ahead to the 15th minute - the attacker successfully played on the patch, closing the distant transmission of Tom Wilson. Defender Dmitry Orlov became the assistant to the first two goals of the capital team.

In the second period, “Montreal” took advantage of Colley's nervousness and scored three goals in his gate in 75 seconds. Holtby, who had not been treated well, came out on the ice, and Ovechkin again had to save the game. At the beginning of the third 20-minute, the Russian hockey player took advantage of a double numerical advantage and equalized the score by throwing the puck from his “office” - this is how the throwing line from the goalkeeper, which Ovechkin often throws without a miss, has long been called the NHL.

This goal not only returned “Washington” to the game, but also became historical for Ovechkin himself. He distinguished himself in the majority in the 236th time - as much as the legendary Canadian Mario Lemieux. Together, they now rank seventh in the list of the best snipers in numerical superiority. At the same time, Ovechkin and Lemieux are the only ones at the top of this rating who have spent their entire careers in one club.

The Russian attacker lacks another puck to catch up with Brandan Shanahan, who is in sixth place. Not so far Ovechkin and absolutely the best hockey player in the implementation of the majority. Canadian Dave Andreychuk ended his career with 274 goals, and for this it took him 1639 matches. The Russian spent only 1023 games in the regular championship, so he is ahead of Andreichuk's schedule.

Ovechkin's double in a match with Montreal improved his position in the rating of snipers of all time - during his career he already “hitched” 622 goals. In order to be in the top 15 of this list, he lacks four goals. Ovechkin could have reduced the gap by one point in the reporting evening if it were not for the phenomenal game of the opponent's goalkeeper at Bell Center.

The score in the match was still 4-4, and the game flowed smoothly into overtime. A few moments before the siren, Tom Wilson intercepted the puck in a strange zone and delivered it to Ovechkin directly in his favorite right circle. The Russian hockey player powerfully swung his stick, but this time the goalkeeper of “Montreal” Cary Price won the duel against the captain of “Washington.” He made an incredible save, which did not allow his team to lose in regular time. Deprived of a hat-trick, Ovechkin applauded the goalkeeper along with the whole arena.

“It was a beautiful salvation! Good moment, the fans applauded the goalkeeper. I did the same thing. I think that Carey is very strong in spirit. He doesn't care if he missed goals or not, he plays the same way. Any strong goalkeeper acts the same way, ”said Ovechkin after the match.

The meeting nevertheless ended with the victory of “Washington” in extra time - the decisive goal was scored by Lars Eller, who gave Montreal a few years of his career. Ovechkin was recognized as the main star of the match, but did not enter the top three in the end of the whole game day.

Thanks to his double, Ovechkin moved to second place on the list of the best snipers of the season. The Russian with 15 goals is inferior only to David Pastrnyak from Boston Bruins, who managed to score two goals.