500 and counting for Ovi

NEW YORK -- It was somehow appropriate that Alex Ovechkin's 500th NHL point came on another one of his highlight-reel goals.

Ovechkin's goal with 8.5 seconds left in the second period Thursday night at Madison Square Garden gave him three points for the night and 500 for his career in just 373 games. It came on a spectacular, one-handed shot that he managed to flip over Henrik Lundqvist with his left hand after having his right hand knocked off the stick.

The Capitals' captain is now in some select company -- he joined Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Peter Stastny, Mike Bossy, Dale Hawerchuk, Bryan Trottier, Denis Savard and Jari Kurri as the only players in NHL history to record 500 points in their first five seasons.

"It's good when you get some big numbers, so I thank my teammates and my coaches," said Ovechkin, who has 257 goals and 243 assists since entering the League in 2005-06. "I don't want to stop. I just want to continue what I'm doing. The team is playing well right now and we feel good right now. We just want to continue what we're doing."

Ovechkin said he knew prior to the game he was only three points shy of 500.

"I read some books we have before the game and I was three points behind 500, but when you go out there you don't think about it," he said. "When you get closer you think maybe this one will be my 500th point."