BOSTON -- It takes more than 800 career NHL points to impress Washington Capitals coach Adam Oates.
"Ah, that's not a milestone," Oates said in response to a question about Alex Ovechkin's new career total after the Capitals beat the Boston Bruins 4-2 at TD Garden on Saturday.
Oates, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame with 1,420 career points, still knows that it's important for the Capitals' overall success to have Ovechkin pass every scoring pit stop as the season and the wing's career unfolds. Ovechkin reached 800 points with two power-play goals against the Bruins.
"You know what? For him, he's a focal point of the League," Oates said. "He's the face of our franchise. It's important that he does well for all of us. But in saying that, he knows that he's still one of 20 within the lineup that plays every night, so he's got to do his job. You know we obviously cater to him, favor him a little bit, but he's also got to contribute and do his job."
In the jovial postgame dressing room, Ovechkin posed for pictures with the game puck that had tape with the number 800 written on it. Ovechkin said he didn't even know about the milestone until after the game.
"You know, a big number, so I just have to keep going," said Ovechkin, who pushed his League-leading totals to 43 goals and 17 power-play goals.
Ovechkin scored point No. 799 at 18:39 of the first period from a familiar spot, just below the top of the left circle. The sniper's one-timer beat Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask for a 1-0 lead.
The Russian star's second goal came from a little farther out and at the other end of the rink in the second period. But the result was the same when he again beat Rask high with a one-timer for a 2-0 lead at 2:24.
Ovechkin became the 150th player in NHL history to reach 800 points. He is 25 points away from tying Peter Bondra for the Capitals record.
"You know it's history," said Ovechkin, who is the League's leading scorer since he made his debut in the 2005-06 season. "And you always want to be in history. And you always want to be on top of everybody. So I try to do my best, but without my linemates and my teammates I didn't get that kind of points."
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