ARLINGTON, Va. – Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has been named the NHL’s First Star for the week ending March 24, the NHL announced today.
Ovechkin, 38, scored a League-leading seven goals in four games as the Capitals went 3-1-0 to move into playoff position. Ovechkin’s eight points (7g, 1a) during the week ranked tied for fourth among all skaters. Washington (35-26-9, 79 pts. in 70 GP) currently holds the final Wild Card position in the Eastern Conferenceand are one point ahead of Tuesday’s opponent, the Detroit Red Wings (36-29-6, 78 pts. in 71 GP).
Ovechkin has recorded four-straight multi-point games, including three two-goal performances. Four of Ovechkin’s seven goals last week came on the power play, including his 128th career game-winning goal on March 18 against the Calgary Flames. Ovechkin enters Tuesday’s game against Detroit on a five-game goal streak (March 16-24: 8g).
Ovechkin, who has scored 18 goals in his last 24 games, has recorded 58 points (26g, 32a) in 67 games this season. The 6’3”, 238-pound forward scored his 25th and 26th goals of the season in the Capitals’ 3-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. Ovechkin has scored 25 or more goals in 18 of his 19 NHL seasons, with the shortened 2020-21 campaign (24g in 45 GP) being the only season in which he did not reach the 25-goal mark. Only Gordie Howe (20) has more 25-goal seasons in NHL history.
With his goal on March 22 versus the Carolina Hurricanes, Ovechkin (848g-695a–1,543p in 1,414 GP) passed Joe Thornton (430g-1,109a–1,539p in 1,714 GP) for the 13th-most points in NHL history.
On March 18 at Calgary, Ovechkin became the fifth player in NHL history to reach the 20-goal mark 19 times and only the third to record 19 straight 20-goal seasons (Howe: 22; Brendan Shanahan: 19). In addition, Ovechkin is the only player in League history with 19 straight 20-goal seasons from the start of his career.
Ovechkin enters this week two goals shy of 850 career goals and is four goals away from his 18th 30-goal season. Should Ovechkin reach the 30-goal mark, he would pass former Capital Mike Gartner (17) for the most 30-goal seasons in NHL history.
