Alex Ovechkin breaks NHL power play goals record originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Alex Ovechkin has always been lethal on the power play and now he has the record to prove it. With his power play goal late in the third Friday against the Detroit Red Wings, Ovechkin has passed Dave Andreychuk and is now the all-time leader in power play goals with 275.
The goal was not without controversy.
With the game tied at 1, the Caps went on the power play after Robby Fabbri was called for interference. His penalty came at 15:10 in the third. Ovechkin scored at 17:10, exactly as the power play was set to expire, for the goal. The goal was originally credited as a power play goal, but was changed after the game ended to even strength, thus denying Ovechkin the record. The NHL then reviewed the goal and determined it was scored at 17:09 making it finally and officially, the record-setting No. 275.
When someone says Ovechkin from the office, every Caps fan knows exactly what that looks like. Washington's power play has, for years, been set up around Ovechkin's one-timer from the faceoff circle. It is one of the most unstoppable plays in sports, something that everyone knows is coming but no one can seem to stop. Ovechkin has wracked up the goals from the office throughout his career helping him to break Andreychuk's record.
"Everybody knows it's coming and nobody can stop it," Andreychuk said in a Zoom media conference in November.
Ovechkin's new record is one that is not likely to be broken anytime soon as there are no active players anywhere close. Only two active players rank even in the top 50 of power play goals: Steven Stamkos is 33rd with171 and Evgeni Malkin is tied for 46th with 153.
As for Andreychuk, he now drops to No. 2. It was a day he could see coming.
"I had a good run," Andreychuk said. "It's been a while, it's been fun."
Ovechkin's prowess on the power play has helped him climb into the top-four on the all-time goals list with 754. He continues to chase Wayne Gretzky's record of 894.
