Ovechkin marked Gretzky’s birthday. And not for the first time!

“Washington Capitals “on home ice won against”Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL regular season game (3:2 B);

As part of the capital club scored Alexander Ovechkin . It is his 32nd goal of the season and the 812th of his NHL career. Ovechkin ranks second on the league’s list of all-time top scorers, behind the record holder Wayne Gretzky for 82 pucks;

Wayne himself celebrated his 62nd birthday on January 26.

Ovi scored 5 (3+2) points in seven games on Gretzky’s birthday

It’s interesting how many coincidences there are in the NHL. That’s how Washington hosted Pittsburgh at home in the league’s primary opposition. And all of this on the birthday of Wayne Gretzky, the greatest hockey player in NHL history.

Couldn’t Alexander Ovechkin have scored on a day like this? And he scored when, six minutes into the game, he converted the majority, having received the puck in his favorite left circle from the face-off. As always, Ovi’s snap was irresistible.

812th goal by Alexander the Great, 82 goals remain for Gretzky. The all-time NHL goalscoring record is 894 goals. The arithmetic is therefore very simple.

But decided to calculate how Alexander Ovechkin used to play matches on January 26. And it turned out that this is the third time in Ovechkin’s career that he has marked Gretzky’s birthday.

Previously, this happened in 2007, when Alexander knocked on the door of Carolina, and in 2017, when he scored two points from New Jersey (1 + 1). In total, Ovechkin played seven games on Gretzky’s birthday, in which he earned 5 (3+2) points. Moreover, the first five matches were played away and the last two at home.

But Ovechkin scored the most important goal on January 16, 2006 against Phoenix (6-1), when, flying sideways, he managed to turn the stick so that the puck entered the goal. This puck in America is called The Goal. That goal didn’t come on Wayne’s birthday, but Gretzky was Phoenix’s coach at the time.

Sidney Crosby: “Do the judges understand the importance of the moment?”

If we talk about the match, then it was attended by Alexander Semin. Ovechkin’s close friend flew to the US capital to remember the good old days, how he himself played for Washington. By the way, Semin is the 17th goalscorer in the history of the Capitals, he scored 408 points for this club. When Semu was shown on the big scoreboard, the whole stadium cheered.

The first period stayed with Washington, but in the second, Pittsburgh added, traded the hosts (18-12) and tied the score thanks to the efforts of Danton Heinen. The teams traded goals in the third period and the game went to overtime. There, “Washington” immediately got a majority, because from the first minute Evgeni Malkin tripped TJ Oshi and was sent off.

But it came to the shootouts, in which Pittsburgh forward Rickard Raquel scored first, then Evgeny Kuznetsov tied the score, executing the shootout in exemplary fashion. He drove at very low speed, often going over the puck, to the Pence gate and outplayed the goaltender with a clean shot. Finally, the decisive shot was made by Niklas Backstrom.

After the shooting, Pence captain Sidney Crosby talked to the judges at length about something. Details remain unknown, but it may have been due to the time in overtime when Lars Eller threw him on the ice. And earlier, at the face-off point, his stick was broken, but that moment was ignored.

– Do you understand the importance of this match for the team, judging by the classification? reporters asked Crosby.

– I think the judges understand that too, don’t they? Crosby replied defiantly.

Interestingly, Washington and Pittsburgh now sit seventh and eighth in the East, giving them playoff access. But behind stalled “Buffalo”, “Florida”, “Islanders”, “Detroit”. So the competition is just crazy.

Alexander Ovechkin: “Very happy for Niklas Backstrom”

– Everyone understands that it was a very important game for Washington. How do you assess these two points? – Ovechkin was questioned after the match by journalists, including a correspondent.

— Yes, an important match, two important points. We tried to take the lead from the first minutes, and the first goal scored allowed us to keep the game better. It’s always good when you’re in the lead.

– What do you think of the playing of Niklas Backstrom, who returns to the group? He fired the first pass as the Washingtons scored the second goal and also converted the game-winning shootout.

— Yes, I am very happy for Niklas. And I see that with each game he plays better and better. I hope he will continue like this. And I’ve always said that Backstrom is a great professional. He’s a real pro. He helps us a lot.

– Were you upset with the second period, in which Pittsburgh moved on you and generally had a good chance to turn the game around?

Yes, but we also had chances. It’s just that the puck didn’t enter the net on that stretch. But when this happens, you should not give up, but create new moments.

– In general, it is clear that the chemistry returns when the injured return to the team.

– Yes, first of all, I will pay attention to the fact that we have improved in physics and feel good. In doing so, we create great chances of winning. It’s a good sign.

– Do you think that Alexandre Semin liked this match on the podium?

— I don’t know, ask him (laughs).

“Yes, we should meet him here at the stadium.

Well, he hasn’t given me his impressions yet.

– What can you say about the game “Washington” in the majority? One in three successful attempts.

– But besides that, we hit the crossbar, played mostly during extra time. We had some very good chances. We’re just looking for the best way to get the puck to the net and shoot. Sometimes it works.

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