Capitals' Alex Ovechkin shares true feelings after goal No. 861
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin has been on an absolute tear as of late, scoring in each of his last five games — and The Great Eight has led his club right to the top of the Metropolitan Division in 2024-25.
The Russian star was again a catalyst on Wednesday night; Ovechkin's 861st career NHL goal held up as the game winner as the Caps downed the Nashville Predators 3-2 at Capital One Arena. It was the team's seventh consecutive win on home ice to open the season, and they're now 9-3 on the campaign.
And with that, Ovechkin — who added an assist in the triumph — is just 34 goals back of passing Wayne Gretzky for the all-time lead.
"I'm always having fun," Ovechkin told reporters of his continued pursuit of The Great One. "How I said, when you winning games, when you producing opportunities to have a chance to score goals, it's always fun to play. Right now I have connection with [Aliaksei Protas] and [Dylan Strome], hopefully gonna continue to play like that."
The 39-year-old just continues to produce in 2024-25, and the Capitals look like a completely different roster compared to last year.
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals keep surging in 2024-25
Ovechkin has been leading the way, but Washington is getting contributions from all over the lineup in the early going. Strome is leading the team with 19 points in just 12 games, while both Protas and Connor McMichael are in the midst of a breakout. The former is up to 12 points, while the latter is tied with Ovechkin after scoring eight goals in the same span.
It's been an encouraging team effort, but it's No. 8 who continues to drive the bus.
"He in general, when he's not scoring, provides a ton of life," Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said of his best player, per NHL.com's Harvey Valentine. "But when he's going and pucks are on him and he's skating and he's on one of these runs, and when they're going in for him, it's noticeable on the bench. His teammates can feel that, and when he touches the puck everybody holds their breath a little bit."
The roster just looks much deeper than it has in the recent past, and it doesn't hurt that Logan Thompson is a perfect 6-0 since the Capitals acquired him from the Vegas Golden Knights this summer. He made 33 saves on 35 shots, keeping Washington in it during a couple lulls.
"[Thompson] did a great job to keep us in the game, making huge saves," Ovechkin said of his netminder, per Valentine. "We take it and move on."
With that, the Capitals move into a tie with the also surging Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the Metro. It's a hugely encouraging start after Washington just snuck into the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Caps are back in action against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night.
