Ovechkin back home with Capitals, continues quest for 700th goal

ARLINGTON, Va. --Alex Ovechkin will get another chance to score his 700th NHL goal on home ice when the Washington Capitals play the Montreal Canadiens at Capital One Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBCSWA, TSN2, RDS, NHL.TV).

The forward remains at 698 goals after not scoring in five straight games, his longest drought since he went six games without a goal from Dec. 19-31, 2018.
Ovechkin has scored 32 goals in 49 games against the Canadiens, including one in Montreal on Nov. 15, and seems to enjoy playing against them.
"I always have fun to play hockey, you know," Ovechkin said Wednesday.
It hasn't been as fun for the Capitals lately. They've lost four of their past five games and have fallen one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for first place in the Metropolitan Division.
Ovechkin dismissed the suggestion that his pursuit of the milestone might be becoming a distraction.
"I don't think somebody thinks about it," he said. "If it happens, it happens. It's just a matter of time, tomorrow, after tomorrow, whatever. We're focusing right now to get our game better, to secure a playoff spot, and then we'll move on."
Ovechkin, who has scored 698 goals in 1,142 regular-season games over 15 seasons, is seeking to become the eighth player in NHL history to score 700, joining Wayne Gretzky (894 goals), Gordie Howe (801), Jaromir Jagr (766), Brett Hull (741), Marcel Dionne (731), Phil Esposito (717) and Mike Gartner (708). Ovechkin had 19 shots on goal and 40 shot attempts during Washington's three-game road trip that ended Monday.

The 34-year-old scored 14 goals in the seven games prior to this drought.
Washington general manager Brian MacLellan stopped short of saying the milestone has become a distraction but acknowledged the Capitals might be pressing to help Ovechkin get to it.
"From observing, I would say I think everybody wants him to get it and are trying hard for him to get it and I think we would benefit from just let's play our game and it's going to happen organically," MacLellan said. "It's just going to take care of itself. But you'd have to ask him that specifically if it's affecting him."
Center Nicklas Backstrom said he doesn't believe Ovechkin's pursuit of 700 goals has been weighing on his longtime linemate.
"I think he wants to get it out the way as soon as possible, but it's just the way it goes sometimes," Backstrom said. "I think we don't try to think about it that much. We're just trying to win games."