March 30, 2025, 05:47 PM ET
WASHINGTON – Alex Ovechkin beat Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record to five goals after winning 890th in his career in an 8-5 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
Washington captain Ovechkin, who sparked the Renaissance season with the capital at the first location of the Eastern Conference, arrived before the net and deflected a shot of Rasmus Sandin past James Raymer to pull the capital within two at 9:11 in the third season.
But he wasn’t the best spirit after the game. The 11-point lead was as comfortable as it was in the Metropolitan division, and the capital was lost for three consecutive times as the postseason approached.
“Now, now, after being asked about issue 890, Ovechkin told reporters.
Washington coach Spencer Carberry was also not overflowing with post-loss reactions.
“We got what we deserve tonight,” he said. “It’s not us.”
Ovechkin, 39, is leaving the pace to pass Gretzky’s 894 mark this spring. He has 37 goals this season, bringing the most things back on track for the 14th history and the 14th history.
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“Again, that’s an insane number,” said Washington forward Aliacsei Protas. “I don’t think I’ll get that even on the NHL 25. [the video game] …He’s chasing something special. ”
But in the end, the day was from the Sabres. Alex Chuch and Tage Thompson each scored two goals as Buffalo won only 31 times this season.
“We were fighting to stay in that game, but we didn’t like any of the top six tonight either,” Carberry said. “Their underlying numbers weren’t great in our top six final two games.”
Ovechkin continues his pursuit of Gretzky on Tuesday, when the capital visited the Boston Bruins.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
