Ovechkin passes Gartner on NHL goals list, but Capitals lose to Rangers

NEW YORK -- Alex Ovechkin scored his 709th goal to move into seventh in NHL history, but the Washington Capitals lost to the New York Rangers 4-2 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

Ovechkin, who was tied with Mike Gartner, needs eight goals to tie Phil Esposito for sixth (717).
"Not done yet," the 35-year-old forward said. "Just try to enjoy my time right now and try to enjoy this moment. Team, obviously it [stinks] we didn't get the point, but beginning of the year, we're just trying to find our game."

Anthony Bitetto scored his first goal in more than three years, Ryan Strome scored twice, and Artemi Panarin had three assists for the Rangers (4-4-2). Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves for his third straight win.
New York has a four-game point streak (3-0-1) after winning consecutive games for the first time this season.
"We've played good hockey," Rangers coach David Quinn said. "I think we're starting to get a little mojo and feel good about ourselves and gain some confidence. When you get seven out of eight points, you start feeling better about yourself. You've got to have some swagger if you're going to have success in this league, or any league for that matter, and we're starting to get a little bit of swagger."
Carl Hagelin scored, and Vitek Vanecek made 27 saves in his eighth straight start for the Capitals (6-2-3), who have lost two in a row in regulation after starting the season with a nine-game point streak.
"We haven't played a 60-minute game yet," Hagelin said. "It is time to adjust and figure that one out because I know if we do we are a very successful team."

Bitetto gave New York a 2-0 lead at 9:15 of the second period with what he called a "blackout moment" goal.
The defenseman carried the puck behind the net, regathered it in the corner after getting hit by Hagelin, and went up the left-wing boards. He avoided a hit from Washington forward Nic Dowd, cut to the middle, eluded a stick check from Capitals defenseman John Carlson and beat Vanecek with a backhand from between the hash marks.
It was his first goal in 113 games, since Nov. 18, 2017 with the Nashville Predators.
"It was magical," Bitetto said. "I usually don't score those type of goals. You put that [Rangers] jersey on, weird things happen."
Bitetto grew up a Rangers fan in Island Park, New York, 30 miles from Madison Square Garden. It was his third NHL goal in his 185th game, including the past two with the Rangers.
"It's funny, my last three goals were disallowed," Bitetto said. "I scored that tonight and my mindset was just like, 'Please allow it, don't challenge this one. I need it.' Thank God [they] didn't."
Washington cut it to 2-1 on Hagelin's goal at 18:57 of the second.
New York forward Brett Howden was called for slashing with 10 seconds left in the second period, but the Rangers killed the penalty to start the third. They were 4-for-4 on the penalty kill and are 14-for-14 in the past three games.

Strome gave the Rangers their second two-goal lead at 7:55 of the third, finishing a 2-on-1 give-and-go with Panarin to make it 3-1.
Strome scored on a deflection of Adam Fox's shot from the point at 1:41 of the first period for a 1-0 lead.
"In the second and third period I thought that we controlled some of the play," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. "Just when you're behind like that by a goal, by two goals, you have to press further and further, and that's when you've really got to be smart about what you're doing in the offensive zone. It came back and it caught us."
The Capitals pushed back again when Ovechkin scored on a rising wrist shot off a face-off win to make it 3-2 at 11:01 of the third.
Pavel Buchnevich scored into an empty net with 27 seconds left for the 4-2 final.
"We're kind of learning a little bit of that bend don't break, and we have Igor back there playing great," Strome said. "I think it's a sign of a growing team, a mature team and a team coming together."
NOTES: Shesterkin became the 143rd goalie Ovechkin has scored against in his NHL career. … Ovechkin's 27:17 in ice time was his most in a regulation regular-season game since Feb. 11, 2010, when he played 27:42 against the Ottawa Senators. … This would have been the Capitals' first game in New York with former Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who will not play this season because of a condition that resulted in him having open-heart surgery. He signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with Washington on Oct. 9 after playing his first 15 NHL seasons with New York. … Strome (three goals, two assists) and Panarin (three goals, six assists) each extended his point streak to four games. … Shesterkin has allowed five goals on 84 shots (.940 save percentage) in his past three games. … Rangers defenseman Libor Hajek played 9:29 in his season debut.