Ovechkin reaches another milestone with 1,000th overall goal for Capitals

WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin reached another goal milestone in typical Alex Ovechkin fashion.

Ovechkin joined Wayne Gretzky as the only players to score 1,000th NHL goals -- regular-season and Stanley Cup Playoffs combined -- with a power-play goal in the third period of the Washington Capitals’ 3-2 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Capital One Arena on Sunday.

Ovechkin scored No. 1,000 on a one-timer from his usual power-play spot in the left circle to tie the score 2-2 at 14:17 of the third period. That gave the 40-year-old left wing 923 regular-season goals in his 21 NHL seasons to go with his 77 in the playoffs.

“It’s always nice to reach something,” Ovechkin said. “And it was an important goal as well.”

Ovechkin surpassed Gretzky for the most regular-season goals in NHL history when he scored his 895th goal on April 6 of last season against the New York Islanders. He still has some work to do to eclipse Gretzky’s total of 1,016 -- 894 in the regular season and 122 in the playoffs (which remains the NHL postseason record).

“It's just another accolade for him in his just incredible career to get 1,000 goals and do it on home ice and do it in the way (he does).” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. “I always like the way things are done, (such as against) the Islanders, how he scored there in the celebration, that iconic moment. And this obviously is not on that stage, but on the power play, it’s a huge goal to tie the game late in the third period.”

Ovechkin also holds the NHL record for power-play goals with 330, but he had scored only four power-play goals this season and none of them had come on home ice. This time, though, he took a pass from Dylan Strome at the point and struck his one-timer cleanly to send the puck screaming into the net past goalie Mackenzie Blackwood’s blocker for his 26th goal of the season.

Strome also assisted on Ovechkin’s 895th goal. Rookie defenseman Cole Hutson, who was playing in just his third game after signing with Washington a week earlier, got the secondary assist for his first NHL assist.

“I think ‘Huts’ was in the corner and ‘Stromer’ take his spot, and he make a nice play too on top and (he) find me out there,’” Ovechkin said.

It was only the second power-play goal Ovechkin has scored on a one-timer from the left circle this season. His first came in a 3-2 loss at the Nashville Predators on Jan. 11.

“It was cool,” Capitals rookie center Justin Sourdif said. “Obviously, a thousand career goals is amazing. … We're all happy for him. We just wish we could have gotten the win with it and make it a little bit better I guess in the dressing room after.”

The celebration was subdued compared to some of Ovechkin’s other milestone goals, but it was still a special moment for those on the ice with him.

“Ever since I was a kid watching the NHL, he was one of my idols, and I don't take a day for granted playing with him,” Capitals forward Connor McMichael said. “Every milestone that goes by, it seems like they just get cooler and cooler.”

Ovechkin would have preferred to reach this milestone in a victory, but Brock Nelson scored 1:22 into overtime to give the Avalanche the win. The Capitals (35-27-9) had to settle for one point in the standings, which left them five behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference with 11 games remaining.

Washington hits the road for its next three games, beginning against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, MNMT).

“Obviously, it (stinks) that we lost, but right now every point we’ll take it,” Ovechkin said. “We played one of the best teams in the League and you can see that we fight and it was a tight game.”