Greatest Moments of NHL Season … So Far: first round, matchup 30

The 2019-20 NHL season had many incredible moments before it paused on March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, and now fans can decide which one was the best.

The Greatest Moments of the NHL season … So Far have been placed into a bracket of 64 entries, and fans will vote on one matchup per day, ultimately deciding the greatest moment up until this point.

Fans can vote on Twitter and Instagram each day from noon until 10 a.m. ET the next day. Each day, the winner of that matchup will be revealed, and a new set of moments will go head-to-head.

Though fans will have the ultimate say, two NHL.com staffers will weigh in on the matchup each day to give his or her opinion on which one should advance to the next round.

In the matchup Tuesday, Jake DeBrusk of the Boston Bruins being interviewed on TV by his dad defeated Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils scoring his first NHL goal.

The matchup Wednesday pits Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin becoming the eighth player to score 700 NHL goals against Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nick Foligno's between-the-legs goal.

Tim Campbell, staff writer

Ovechkin's 700th NHL goal was a lot like so many of his other 699, a hard, accurate, one-time shot against the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 22, making him the eighth player in League history to reach the milestone. The celebration also was like a lot of other Ovechkin goals: animated, energized and full of joy. Pressure and attention had been increasing in the games leading up to Feb. 22 because Ovechkin had failed to score in five straight games, his longest drought since December 2018. He scored No. 699 against the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 20, and against the Devils, his shot from the right face-off dot against goalie Mackenzie Blackwood tied the game 2-2 at 4:50 of the third period. It set off a grand celebration for a rare feat, but the Capitals lost 3-2. At the pause, Ovechkin was tied for the NHL lead in goals with David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins with 48 and was on pace to reach 50 goals for the ninth time in his 15 NHL seasons.

Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

No doubt Ovechkin's goal was a tremendous accomplishment, and Tim, you're right in that it looked like a lot of his previous 699 goals. In this particular moment, though, Foligno's between-the-legs beauty against the Philadelphia Flyers was a lot more stunning. First, Foligno is not the player you'd expect to pull out a trick shot like that. Most of the 196 goals he's scored in his 13 NHL seasons have been because of his strength and hard work battling in front of the net. But on this night, something special happened as he skated in alone on goalie Brian Elliott. As Elliott attempted a poke-check, Foligno dropped the puck between his skates and snapped a shot over Elliott's right pad and into the net. It was a beauty worthy of any highlight reel. And as far as individual moments this season go, Foligno's goal was a pretty special one.