Alexander the Great is the third Russian assistant in the league
Only one game was played that night in the NHL, but what a game! Washington came to Newark to visit New Jersey.
In general, before this game, everyone agreed that New Jersey should get an easy victory. Because Washington is not good at all, it is the worst team in the Eastern Conference. But the Devils are on the rise, they’re a young team, the league’s top scorer, Jack Hughes, plays there, and usually the Devils play at home.
But this is the NHL, where anyone can beat anyone. The reality therefore turned out to be completely different.
I don’t know what happened to New Jersey – maybe they didn’t get enough sleep, or the match the day before, where they won in Montreal (5:2), had an effect. But the hosts completely failed in the first half and Washington led with a score of 3:0.
In the 16th minute, Alexander Ovechkin helped Dylan Strome score, and this assist for the Russian scorer became the 666th in his NHL career. That’s it, we can’t make it up on purpose! The diabolical figure was made precisely in the den of the Devils. And on the eve of Halloween, celebrated in America at the end of October.
By the way, we are all accustomed to the fact that Ovechkin is a real sniper who hits goals like on an assembly line. But the winger is third on the all-time Russian assists list, behind only two great center forwards, Sergei Fedorov (696) and Evgeni Malkin (762). Overall, Ovechkin ranks 69th in NHL history in assists. Certainly, we are far from Gretzky (1963). But the main plan is to outdo Wayne.
A stone’s throw from another Gretzky record
In the second half, New Jersey came to its senses and equalized the score (3:3), then the host striker Tyler Toffoli scored the fourth goal. It was similar to the match Kunlun – SKA, where the stronger club unexpectedly burned after the first period (like St. Petersburg yesterday with a score of 1:3), but then turned the match in its favor ( 6:3). The role of the Chinese “Kunlun” here is of course that of “Washington”.
But the guests were not shy and continued to surprise. In the third period, Evgeny Kuznetsov helped Strom score. The NHL doesn’t live on Connor Bedard and Connor McDavid – Connor McMichael scored Washington’s fifth goal.
And a minute and a half before the end of the match, when the Devils wanted to save themselves and desperately eliminated the goaltender, Ovechkin put the puck into an empty net.
It must be said that Alexander the Great scored in such a situation for the 55th time in his career, scoring an empty goal. And he was just one step away from Gretzky’s record of 56 empty-net goals. The next goal will therefore be historic for Ovechkin.
And if you think it’s very easy to score in an empty goal under pressure at the end of a match, then try it yourself. Any professional will tell you that this is a difficult task. Marian Hossa (40) was third to score into an empty net, and Pavel Bure (28) was the closest among the Russians.
Hughes decided to take the award from McDavid
But the main number is 824. Yes, Ovechkin is only 70 goals away from Wayne Gretzky’s record (894).
It’s clear that Alexander the Great won’t surpass Graetz this season. But maybe that will be the case in the next one. And most importantly, Ovi returned to his job as a sniper. He has already scored two matches in a row – at 38 years old. And to those who said that Alexander had already finished as a striker, Ovechkin himself sends his deepest and most ardent greetings.
At the same time, Jack Hughes should also be noted. In this game, he scored another 3 (0+3) points, and now with 17 (4+13) points in just six games, he continues to lead the list of top scorers in the league. While Connor McDavid is injured (2+6=8). But when the Canadian returns, he will face a very serious task: how to catch up with this agile American. So watch the battle of the titans continue – maybe the Art Ross Trophy, the prize awarded to the league’s top scorer, will go from McDavid to the little devil Hughes.
NHL. Regular season
New Jersey Devils (Newark) – Washington Capitals (Washington) – 4:6 (0:3, 4:0, 0:3)
Goals: Toffoli, 24:31, 30:01. Mayer, 25:19. Hischier, 26:42. —Manta, 6:37 a.m. Strome, 15:52, 40:18 (bolt.). Milan, 5:28 p.m. McMichael, 42:09. Ovechkin, 58:25.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
