Ovechkin scores twice, ties Gretzky, Bossy with nine 50-goal NHL seasons

Alex Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy for the most 50-goal seasons in NHL history with nine when he scored twice for the Washington Capitals in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday.

The 36-year-old left wing became the oldest player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season (36 years, 215 days), surpassing Johnny Bucyk, who was 35 years, 308 days, when he scored his 50th with the Boston Bruins in 1970-71.
"It's pretty good company. I'm kind of pretty happy," Ovechkin said. "When you score the first one, you just feel pretty good about the game. I think our line today feel good. We have pretty good chances. It's one of the nights you're feeling it."
Ovechkin scored his 49th of the season from the left circle on a 2-on-1 with Evgeny Kuznetsov to give Washington a 2-1 lead at 2:57 of the second period. He then got No. 50 on a slap shot from the top of the right circle to tie it 3-3 at 13:36 of the third.
It was Ovechkin's 158th multigoal game, tying Brett Hull for second in NHL history behind Gretzky's 189.

"Alex, the way he's contributing right now, I thought he played really hard out here tonight … really the set the example for our team," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. "Amazing accomplishment, 50 goals again. I think as a more veteran player, being able to accomplish that where he is in his career right now as well, pretty special."
Ovechkin reached 50 goals for the ninth time in his 17 NHL seasons with Washington. Gretzky did it nine times in 20 seasons (1979-1999) with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers, and Bossy did it nine times in 10 seasons (1977-1987) with the New York Islanders.
Bossy, who died Friday after a battle with lung cancer, is the only player to score 50 goals in nine consecutive seasons.
"I met him a couple times," Ovechkin told the Capitals website Friday. "He was always smiling. He would always have a good mood and it's a sad day for the whole [hockey] world. He was a legend and, obviously, he was a great person, and he was the greatest, a very good goal-scorer, and it's sad, sad news."
Ovechkin, who has scored 50 goals in 75 games, is the fourth player to reach 50 this season, joining Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs (58), Leon Draisaitl of the Oilers (54) and Chris Kreider of the Rangers (50). Matthews and Kreider each reached 50 goals for the first time in their NHL careers. Draisaitl also scored 50 goals in 2018-19, when Ovechkin led the NHL with 51.
The last time the NHL had at least four 50-goal scorers was Ovechkin's rookie season in 2005-06, when there were five: Jonathan Cheechoo of the San Jose Sharks (56), Jaromir Jagr of the Rangers (54), Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atlanta Thrashers (52), Ovechkin (52) and Dany Heatley of the Ottawa Senators (50).
Ovechkin has been the NHL's lone 50-goal scorer four times: 2008-09 (56 goals), 2013-14 (51), 2014-15 (53) and 2015-16 (50).
It's been a season of milestones for Ovechkin, who is third in NHL history with 780 goals in 1,272 regular-season games. He passed Marcel Dionne (731) for fifth on the NHL goals list against the Rangers on Oct. 13, Hull (741) for fourth against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 12, and Jagr (766) for third against the Islanders on March 15.
The No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft is 21 behind Gordie Howe (801) for second, and 114 behind Gretzky's NHL record of 894.
Ovechkin also broke the NHL record for power-play goals, previously held by Dave Andreychuk, by scoring the 275th of his career against the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 31, and tied Gretzky for the most 40-goal seasons (12) when he reached the mark against the Dallas Stars on March 20.