Ovechkin’s Gretzky chase ‘a massive benefit’ for Capitals this season

WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin liked the sound of the number.

Ovechkin, who has worn No. 8 throughout his 20 seasons with the Washington Capitals, scored his 888th goal in a 3-2 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday to move within seven of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894.

Ovechkin quickly noted that Andrew Mangiapane, who wears No. 88, and he calls, “Magic,” also scored for Washington.

“So, there was lots of 8s out there,” Ovechkin said.

There seems to be something magic going on with these Capitals (46-15-8), who won their third in a row to become the first team in the League to reach 100 points and the first to clinch a Stanley Cup Playoff berth this season. They did it in their 69th game after needing all 82 games last season when they were 40-31-11 and the last team to punch their postseason ticket with a 2-1 win against the Flyers.

This is the first time since the NHL switched to a 16-team playoff format in 1979-80 that a team went from being the last to clinch a playoff berth to the first to get in the following season.

“Our goal was to make the playoffs this year,” said Ovechkin, who has led the Capitals into the playoffs 16 times, including their run to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2018. “It's hard. Every game, it's hard, especially at the end because every team is fighting. That's why in the beginning of the year and the middle of the year it's very important to (be) collecting the points and feel comfortable at the end.

“Last year, it took us 82 games to clinch it and since 20 games left last year, it was (like) playoffs for us already. We take it and move on.”

This wasn’t the Capitals’ best performance of the season. They led 3-0 after two periods and barely hung on in a third period coach Spencer Carbery called, “a trainwreck” after they were outshot 16-2.

Ovechkin was among those to credit goalie Charlie Lindgren, who made 27 saves.

“We knew they're going to make a push, and they did,” the 39-year-old left wing said. “Obviously Chucky today was outstanding, but in the future, we can't play like that in the third.”

In the end, though, the Capitals emerged with another victory and Ovechkin moved a step closer to history. Washington has 13 games remaining for Ovechkin to surpass Gretzky this season.

“I speak for probably the whole team (that) we'd love to see him get it done,” Lindgren said. “He's generating a ton of scoring chances every single game. He could've had a couple tonight. Obviously, I don't know exactly what he's feeling, I don't know how much pressure he's feeling, but, boy, I’ll tell you, seeing him and being with him every day you look at him, you wouldn't know that he's feeling any sort of pressure at all.

“He's still going out and producing and scoring goals for us and being one heck of a captain.”

Ovechkin’s 888th goal, also his team-leading 35th goal of the season, opened the scoring at 14:25 of the first period. Defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk’s initial shot from the right point was blocked in front by Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler.

Aliaksei Protas found the loose puck and passed to Ovechkin on the left side for a shot that bounced in off the right pad of goalie Samuel Ersson.

"Yeah, it was a great play,” Ovechkin said of Protas’ pass. “Take it and move on.”

Ovechkin’s goal brought the crowd to life and seemed to give the Capitals a boost of energy that carried into the second period when Brandon Duhaime scored his eighth goal of the season (another eight) on a deflection at 1:56, and Mangiapane finished a 3-on-2 rush at 11:06 to make it 3-0.

Mangiapane said he told Ovechkin after he scored his 888th, “That was a sign. I’ve got to score too now.”

“It worked out pretty well and just kind of manifested it there,” Mangiapane said.

The rest of the Capitals are enjoying going along for this ride with Ovechkin. They are also trying their best to help him break the record this season.

“I think everyone knows that he can do it, and there's no kind of extra pressure or anything for him,” Mangiapane said. “He's a great hockey player, and he always finds the right areas to get his shot off. I think he's just focusing on it game-by-game and so are all the players.

“We're just going out and playing and just playing all together, and whatever kind of happens, happens is, I think, the mentality of this room.”

Ovechkin said his approach will not change.

“How I said, game-by-game and we'll see what happens,” he said.

Although Carbery wasn’t pleased with the team’s performance Thursday, he maintained that Ovechkin’s record chase has been nothing but positive during the Capitals’ late-season drive to put themselves in the best position to succeed in the playoffs.

Washington has won eight of its past nine games. Ovechkin has nine goals in the past 13 games.

“Our guys feed off it on the bench. They’re pulling for him,” Carbery said. “I think it energizes them to play at a higher level, to be honest with you, raise their game and when they’re playing with him to try to have productive shifts. Now, we’ve talked about it as a group. You just have to be careful of forcing pucks to him and overpassing in situations. You just play your game and if you play within our structure, good things will happen for him. So, worry about playing inside of our system and he’ll get his looks.

“But there’s no question as a coach I feel like this chase and the energy around it hasn’t been a distraction or a hindrance to our group. It’s been a massive benefit.”