Apr 4, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) waves to fans in the stands after scoring a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks in the third period at Capital One Arena. The goal is the 894th of his career, tying Wayne Gretzky (not pictured) for most all-time goals scored in the NHL. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images The New York Islanders and Washington Capitals became joined together in history on April 19, 1987, when they concluded the “Easter Epic” — Game 7 of the Patrick Division semifinals eventually won by the Islanders in quadruple overtime.
Almost 38 years later, Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has a chance to ensure another permanent connection between the teams in the NHL’s history books.
Ovechkin will attempt to break his tie with Wayne Gretzky as the NHL’s all-time leading scorer Sunday afternoon, when the Capitals visit the Islanders in what is sure to be a charged atmosphere in Elmont, N.Y.
Both teams were off Saturday after earning wins at home Friday. Ovechkin scored twice to tie Gretzky’s record in the Capitals’ 5-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, while the Islanders stopped a six-game losing streak by beating the Minnesota Wild 3-1.
Ovechkin, appearing at home for just the second time in the past six games, tied Gretzky in front of a sellout crowd of 18,573 by collecting his 893rd and 894th goals in his 1,486th career game. Gretzky played one more game in his legendary NHL career.
Gretzky was on hand Friday, sitting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Ovechkin, after being congratulated by teammates on the ice, stopped to look at Gretzky in his box and then bowed.
OVECHKIN AGAIN! GOAL 894!!! ??
HE’S TIED THE ALL-TIME GOALS RECORD! #Gr8Chase
????: @NHLNetwork
????: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ?? https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/JZ3OZKTfGn— NHL (@NHL) April 5, 2025
Ovechkin opened the scoring at 3:52 of the first period before he collected a power play goal with 6:13 remaining in the game for the Capitals (49-18-9, 107 points), who entered play Saturday 11 points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes in the race for the Metropolitan Division title and the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Toronto Maple Leafs also have 96 points in the race for the East’s top seed.
“I still can’t believe it,” Ovechkin, 39, said. “It’s history. It’s great for the game, it’s great to do it here. It’s special.”
Ovechkin had several chances to break the record in the waning minutes. With no desire to break the record on an empty-netter, he declined to take the ice when the Blackhawks pulled goalie Spencer Knight. Ovechkin then missed four shots in the final 78 seconds after Knight returned to the ice following an empty-netter by Ryan Leonard.
“I’ll take every empty-net goal I can get,” said Gretzky, who joined Ovechkin for a press conference and is expected to attend the Sunday game with Bettman.
The two-goal game Friday continued a remarkable sprint to the record by Ovechkin, who has scored in each of his past four games and has 41 goals in just 60 games this season — including 26 in 42 games since Dec. 28, when he returned from a 16-game absence due to a broken leg.
Ovechkin has 44 goals in 71 career regular-season games against the Islanders but has never scored against Ilya Sorokin, who is expected to start at goalie Sunday afternoon.
“It’s game-by-game, it’s shift-by-shift,” Ovechkin said. “You never know what’s going to happen.”
Preventing Ovechkin from breaking the record Sunday might help the Islanders (33-32-10, 76 points) maintain their flickering playoff hopes. Casey Cizikas, Simon Holmstrom and Noah Dobson scored Friday for New York, which entered play Saturday five points behind the Montreal Canadiens in the race for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
The Islanders, who mounted late surges to reach the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, will need to do that again with just seven games remaining. They have one each against the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets, teams they would need to leap over to earn a wild card.
“Our focus is on these last games and what’s at stake,” Cizikas said. “Anything can happen in this league. We’ve got to focus on what we can control and give ourselves the best fighting chance.”
–Field Level Media
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Transfer deadline day live updates: Alexander Isak news, Manchester United latest and more
Everton are exploring a move Freiburg midfielder Merlin Rohl ahead of tonight's deadline, but would face a race against time to get a deal over the line. The Merseyside have been looking to improve their midfield options before the close of the window and recently saw an approach rejected for West Ham United's Tomas Soucek.There has been interest in academy graduate Harrison Armstrong from the Championship, who would likely be granted a loan move elsewhere should this deal go through, while stalwart Idrissa Gueye is set to feature in December’s AFCON with Senegal.Rohl has been on Everton’s radar for around 12 months, with the club having expressed an interest in signing him last January. The 23-year-old competed for Germany at this summer’s Under-21 European Championship and is held in high regard as a mobile, attack-minded midfielder capable of playing as […]
Tennis outfits make the U.S. Open a fashion spectacle. For players, it’s also a business
FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — Naomi Osaka walked on to Louis Armstrong Stadium and sparkled under the lights, with red roses on a hairpiece and a red jacket and dress studded with crystals. The four-time Grand Slam champion’s night-session outfit for the 2025 U.S. Open sent out a spectacular fashion statement, and its design, conception and production were years in the making.Advertisement“It was really elaborate, because the crystals are really hard to do on a performance outfit,” she said after her first-round win over Greet Minnen, which debuted the look.Two days later, Osaka wore her day outfit, bright purple and also covered in crystals. As in the night session, she paired it with a crystal-encrusted Labubu doll, the wearable plush toy with a devilish grin that has become a fashion accessory for athletes and pop culture figures across the world.The night […]
Aston Villa on verge of agreeing Jadon Sancho loan from Manchester United
Aston Villa are on the verge of agreeing a loan deal for Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho.An agreement club-to-club and with the player is close with only final details to sort.The 25-year-old is into the final year of his contract at Old Trafford with the club holding the option of extending by a further 12 months.AdvertisementThe Athletic reported on Sunday night that Villa were exploring a deal for Sancho — separate to the Old Trafford club’s interest in goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Villa have been restricted by their need to adhere to UEFA financial regulations all summer, so the terms of any potential Sancho move have to favour the West Midlands club, given those constraints.Villa are also looking for a wide player, following the departure of Leon Bailey on loan to Roma and the end of Marcus Rashford’s temporary switch from […]
Falcons mailbag: What’s up at right tackle? Why so few D-linemen? Does Penix need more reps?
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The regular season is finally here; Atlanta hosts NFC South rival Tampa Bay Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Before that, though, there are some lingering questions for head coach Raheem Morris heading into Year 2.So, we’re going to try to answer as many of them as we can as we dive into a Falcons mailbag. We’ll start at the most worrisome spot, right tackle, where you all seem to be wondering, “Is this all there is?”Editor’s note: Questions were edited for length and clarity.With the loss of Kaleb McGary and Michael Penix Jr.’s injury history, shouldn’t the Falcons be doing more than bargain basement shopping to replace his blindside blocker? — Josh R.Trent Brown and Kenyon Green were two players I thought the Falcons might be interested in at right tackle, but apparently, they’ve decided to go in […]
U.S. Open recap: Jumbo-tennis-ball-toting kids tamed by thrilling Townsend Krejcikova match
The Athletic has live coverage of the 2025 U.S. Open, and you can follow all the U.S. Open coverage, too.Welcome to the U.S. Open briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament.On Day 8, the U.S. Open’s jumbo tennis ball went rogue, the art of playing with a lead took center stage, and Carlos Alcaraz achieved another milestone.A cute harbinger of doom gets its power taken awaySince at least 2024, the U.S. Open’s jumbo tennis ball has acquired meaning beyond being a canvas for autographs. With the tournament getting busier and busier, the hunt for a favorite player’s signature has become more competitive. It now requires planning.AdvertisementFans still surge forward at the call of “game, set and match” no matter the occasion. Field court or stadium court, favorite player ever or one […]
NFL Week 1 odds, spreads: Cowboys-Eagles and Vikings-Bears bookend our football premiere
The football scheduling gods decided to deliver a delicious Week 1 platter … or maybe we’re just starved. To a hammer football fan in early September, everything looks like a nail must-watch.Action starts Thursday with the rivalry fixture between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, a matchup that — depending on your loyalties — is either disappointingly or wonderfully lopsided. The defending Super Bowl champs are 7.5-point favorites against their floundering counterparts from Texas. The Cowboys are coming off a 7-10 season in which they missed the playoffs, and they’ve only won a single playoff game in the last six seasons. Unfortunately for Dallas fans, the vibes started off poorly with preseason drama over star defensive end Micah Parsons’ contract, which led to his eventual trade. The spread moved from 7 to 7.5 after Parsons was dealt to Green Bay.AdvertisementOn […]
Related
Transfer deadline day live updates: Alexander Isak news, Manchester United latest and more
Everton are exploring a move Freiburg midfielder Merlin Rohl ahead of tonight's deadline, but would face a race against time to get a deal over the line. The Merseyside have been looking to improve their midfield options before the close of the window and recently saw an approach rejected for West Ham United's Tomas Soucek.There has been interest in academy graduate Harrison Armstrong from the Championship, who would likely be granted a loan move elsewhere should this deal go through, while stalwart Idrissa Gueye is set to feature in December’s AFCON with Senegal.Rohl has been on Everton’s radar for around 12 months, with the club having expressed an interest in signing him last January. The 23-year-old competed for Germany at this summer’s Under-21 European Championship and is held in high regard as a mobile, attack-minded midfielder capable of playing as […]
Tennis outfits make the U.S. Open a fashion spectacle. For players, it’s also a business
FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — Naomi Osaka walked on to Louis Armstrong Stadium and sparkled under the lights, with red roses on a hairpiece and a red jacket and dress studded with crystals. The four-time Grand Slam champion’s night-session outfit for the 2025 U.S. Open sent out a spectacular fashion statement, and its design, conception and production were years in the making.Advertisement“It was really elaborate, because the crystals are really hard to do on a performance outfit,” she said after her first-round win over Greet Minnen, which debuted the look.Two days later, Osaka wore her day outfit, bright purple and also covered in crystals. As in the night session, she paired it with a crystal-encrusted Labubu doll, the wearable plush toy with a devilish grin that has become a fashion accessory for athletes and pop culture figures across the world.The night […]
Aston Villa on verge of agreeing Jadon Sancho loan from Manchester United
Aston Villa are on the verge of agreeing a loan deal for Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho.An agreement club-to-club and with the player is close with only final details to sort.The 25-year-old is into the final year of his contract at Old Trafford with the club holding the option of extending by a further 12 months.AdvertisementThe Athletic reported on Sunday night that Villa were exploring a deal for Sancho — separate to the Old Trafford club’s interest in goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Villa have been restricted by their need to adhere to UEFA financial regulations all summer, so the terms of any potential Sancho move have to favour the West Midlands club, given those constraints.Villa are also looking for a wide player, following the departure of Leon Bailey on loan to Roma and the end of Marcus Rashford’s temporary switch from […]
Falcons mailbag: What’s up at right tackle? Why so few D-linemen? Does Penix need more reps?
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The regular season is finally here; Atlanta hosts NFC South rival Tampa Bay Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Before that, though, there are some lingering questions for head coach Raheem Morris heading into Year 2.So, we’re going to try to answer as many of them as we can as we dive into a Falcons mailbag. We’ll start at the most worrisome spot, right tackle, where you all seem to be wondering, “Is this all there is?”Editor’s note: Questions were edited for length and clarity.With the loss of Kaleb McGary and Michael Penix Jr.’s injury history, shouldn’t the Falcons be doing more than bargain basement shopping to replace his blindside blocker? — Josh R.Trent Brown and Kenyon Green were two players I thought the Falcons might be interested in at right tackle, but apparently, they’ve decided to go in […]
U.S. Open recap: Jumbo-tennis-ball-toting kids tamed by thrilling Townsend Krejcikova match
The Athletic has live coverage of the 2025 U.S. Open, and you can follow all the U.S. Open coverage, too.Welcome to the U.S. Open briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament.On Day 8, the U.S. Open’s jumbo tennis ball went rogue, the art of playing with a lead took center stage, and Carlos Alcaraz achieved another milestone.A cute harbinger of doom gets its power taken awaySince at least 2024, the U.S. Open’s jumbo tennis ball has acquired meaning beyond being a canvas for autographs. With the tournament getting busier and busier, the hunt for a favorite player’s signature has become more competitive. It now requires planning.AdvertisementFans still surge forward at the call of “game, set and match” no matter the occasion. Field court or stadium court, favorite player ever or one […]
NFL Week 1 odds, spreads: Cowboys-Eagles and Vikings-Bears bookend our football premiere
The football scheduling gods decided to deliver a delicious Week 1 platter … or maybe we’re just starved. To a hammer football fan in early September, everything looks like a nail must-watch.Action starts Thursday with the rivalry fixture between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, a matchup that — depending on your loyalties — is either disappointingly or wonderfully lopsided. The defending Super Bowl champs are 7.5-point favorites against their floundering counterparts from Texas. The Cowboys are coming off a 7-10 season in which they missed the playoffs, and they’ve only won a single playoff game in the last six seasons. Unfortunately for Dallas fans, the vibes started off poorly with preseason drama over star defensive end Micah Parsons’ contract, which led to his eventual trade. The spread moved from 7 to 7.5 after Parsons was dealt to Green Bay.AdvertisementOn […]
Be the first to leave a comment