Alex Ovechkin couldn’t reach 700 goals on Saturday in Arizona, where he scored the goal. Ovechkin gets his next chance at 700 against another memorable opponent -- the Vegas Golden Knights -- and you can watch it on NBCSN on Monday. (Coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET.)
Ovechkin falls short against Coyotes, gets next shot at 700 on Monday
Ovechkin continues to swing hard at goals 699 and 700, but to no avail. Antti Raanta made 35 out of 36 saves to lead the Coyotes to a 3-1 win against the Capitals on Saturday. Ovechkin fired eight shots on goal against Raanta, and couldn’t beat him once.
(Raanta admitted during an on-ice postgame interview that he didn’t want to be part of that looming highlight package.)
After generating a hat trick to reach 698 goals on Feb. 4, Ovechkin hit a wall. This marks four straight goalless and pointless games for Ovechkin. Again, it’s not for a lack of trying.
As mentioned, Ovechkin fired eight SOG against the Coyotes. Before that, Ovechkin fired seven unsuccessful SOG against Colorado (Feb. 13), couldn’t find the net on six SOG while suffering a -4 rating against the Islanders (Feb. 10), and couldn’t connect despite two SOG vs. the Flyers (Feb. 8).
Monday sets the stage for an interesting opportunity, though. Ovechkin and the Capitals won their first-ever Stanley Cup against Vegas, and he can reach the 700 milestone with two goals. Ovechkin can torment Marc-Andre Fleury at times, so don’t be shocked if he hits 700 on Monday.
Ovechkin’s quest for 700:
- NHL Power Rankings: Ovechkin’s top 10 goals
- By the Numbers: Ovechkin’s 698 NHL goals
- Stunning Numbers as Alex Ovechkin closes in on 700 goals
- Can Alex Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 goals?
- My Favorite Goal: Ovechkin scores ‘The Goal’
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.