Alex Ovechkin gets to 50 goals for 6th time, adds assist in Capitals' 4-2 win over Hurricanes

WASHINGTON - Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 50th goal, reaching that mark for the sixth time and tying a team record with the 472nd of his career, and added an assist to help the Washington Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 Tuesday night.

With his team pushing to make the playoffs, the three-time NHL MVP got No. 50 at 11:12 of the first period, giving Washington a 2-0 lead when he took a pass from Evgeny Kuznetsov and sent a shot from just inside the left circle past goalie Cam Ward.

Only five other players reached the half-century mark at least six times: Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy had nine such seasons, and Mario Lemieux, Marcel Dionne and Guy Lafleur had six.

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