Ovechkin can score No. 700 for Capitals at site of 'The Goal'

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Alex Ovechkin will take his next shot at scoring his 700th NHL goal in the building where he scored arguably the most spectacular goal of his career.

The Washington Capitals forward will face the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; ESPN+, FS-A, FS-A PLUS, NBCSWA, NHL.TV), still needing two goals to become the eighth player in NHL history to score 700. Ovechkin, who has been held without a point in his past three games, would join Wayne Gretzky (894 goals), Gordie Howe (801), Jaromir Jagr (766), Brett Hull (741), Marcel Dionne (731), Phil Esposito (717) and Mike Gartner (708) in the 700-goal club.
Gretzky was the coach of the Coyotes when Ovechkin, then a 20-year-old rookie, scored what became known as "The Goal" in a 6-1 Capitals victory on Jan. 16, 2006 at what was then called Glendale Arena. Now 34, Ovechkin thinks back to "The Goal" whenever he returns to this building.
"It was my first year," Ovechkin said after the Capitals morning skate. "Cool memories. A pretty cool goal."
Ovechkin said it ranks "in the top six" goals he has scored in his career.
Ovechkin, who has 698 goals in 1,140 regular-season games over 15 seasons, was already well on his way to winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie that season when he scored his second of two goals in the game, and the 32nd of his career, with 8:06 remaining in that Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee.
After picking up the puck in the neutral zone, Ovechkin carried it over the Coyotes blue line on the right wing and cut to the middle of the ice against defenseman Paul Mara. Ovechkin fell when he tried to toe drag crossing the slot but maintained control of the puck when he slid into the left circle and rolled onto his back.
Reaching with his stick, Ovechkin hooked the puck back toward the net and slid it in past goaltender Brian Boucher.
"I think it was just luck. Maybe skill." Ovechkin said. "I look at the video and I don't know what to say. I think it's luck."

Behind the Coyotes bench, Gretzky, who later called the goal "pretty sweet," looked up to watch the replay on the video scoreboard along with everyone else in the arena. More than 14 years later, Gretzky said last month he believes Ovechkin has "a real legitimate chance" to break his NHL record of 894 goals.
The next step on that journey would be reaching 700. Ovechkin can add another special memory at Gila River Arena if he reaches the milestone Saturday.
Ovechkin would be the first player to score 700 NHL goals since Jagr got his 700th while playing for the New Jersey Devils against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on March 1, 2014.
With 40 goals this season, Ovechkin has joined Gretzky as the only players in NHL history with 11 or more 40-goal seasons. Gretzky scored at least 40 goals 12 times during his 20 seasons in the NHL.
Ovechkin did everything but score in 3-2 win at the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, with seven shots on goal and 16 shot attempts.
"I just tried to do my job whatever it is, shooting, make some plays," Ovechkin said. "The first period we didn't play [well] at all and then we started moving and we get chances."
Ovechkin has gone three games without a point for the first time since Dec. 11-16, but he has been in this situation before; after he scored his 598th NHL goal in a 5-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2018 NHL Stadium Series at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on March 3, 2018, he also went three straight games without a point before scoring goals No. 599 and 600 in a 3-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets on March 4, 2018.
With the number of chances Ovechkin had Thursday, he's bound to break through eventually.
"He had some good opportunities, got to some good spots," Capitals coach Todd Reirden said. "That's properly evaluating your game. Some nights you never get any shots until the very end of the game and you get two goals … You talk about to how he's getting to the dangerous areas and how his release is and is he in a spot where he's predictable to his partners, his linemates, so that he can make plays and I thought that he did a good job of that."