Facts and Figures: Backstrom, Ovechkin, Carlson power Capitals

Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson each added to his list of NHL career accomplishments while helping the Washington Capitals defeat the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 at Rogers Arena on Monday.

Backstrom assisted on three goals. His second assist of the game, on a third-period goal by Ovechkin, was the 600th of his NHL career. The 30-year-old center became the 87th player in NHL history to have 600 assists and has had at least three assists in a game 40 times.
Backstrom, taken by the Capitals with the No. 4 pick of the 2006 NHL Draft in Vancouver (Ovechkin announced the selection), has set up goals by 52 different teammates and assisted on 234 of Ovechkin's 615 goals. He has assisted on at least 40 goals by two other players -- forwards T.J. Oshie (48, including an empty-net goal Monday) and Alexander Semin (40) -- is the first player from his draft class to reach 600 assists and leads all active players in assists since he entered the NHL in 2007.

Ovechkin scored two goals and had two assists for his 25th NHL game with at least four points. It was the 123rd multiple-goal game of his NHL career and third this season. The 33-year-old forward moved past Mark Messier (122) for sole possession of 13th place on the all-time list for multigoal games; he is one behind Steve Yzerman (124) for 12th. Ovechkin's 615 goals are 17th all-time; Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla are tied for 15th with 625.
Ovechkin's first goal of the game came at 19:34 of the second period and proved to be the 103rd game-winner of his NHL career. He's eighth on the all-time list for game-winning goals, one behind Toronto Maple Leafs forward Patrick Marleau (104). His second goal, 5:35 into the third period, was the 233rd he's scored on the power play, moving him past Dino Ciccarelli (232) into sole possession of ninth place on the all-time power-play goals list.
Carlson scored Washington's first goal at 2:20 of the first period and assisted on goals by forward Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ovechkin for a three-point game. It was his fifth multipoint game of the season and second with at least three points. Carlson, who led NHL defensemen in scoring last season with 68 points (15 goals, 53 assists), is the 10th different defenseman in NHL history with five multipoint games in his team's first eight games of a season. Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins (1969-70, 1971-72, 1973-74) and Denis Potvin of the New York Islanders (1974-75, 1978-79) are the only defensemen to accomplish the feat more than once.