WASHINGTON — With a first-period goal against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, Alex Ovechkin scored his 30th goal of the season to mark the 17th time in 18 years he’s reached the number. He tied longtime Capitals forward Mike Gartner for the most such seasons in NHL history.
Ovechkin achieved the feat in just 45 games, the fastest he’s reached the 30-goal mark since doing it in 42 to begin the 2018-19 season. The 37-year-old is the eldest player to score 30 or more goals in a single campaign since Martin St. Louis scored 30 in 2013-14 with the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers also at 37.
The season is only a little over halfway through but it’s already been one full of history for Ovechkin, who has set NHL records for the most road goals and goals with one team while moving into second place on the all-time list with 810 and counting. His tally Sunday also marked the 400th of his career at home, breaking a tie with Gartner for the fourth most ever.
Gartner played 19 NHL seasons including 10 with the Capitals from 1979-89. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001, he compiled nine of his 30-goal seasons in Washington before being traded to the Minnesota North Stars at the deadline in 1989. Gartner’s 397 career goals with the Capitals rank third in team history behind Ovechkin and Peter Bondra.
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On pace for about 55 goals this season — a number he hasn’t eclipsed since scoring 56 in 2008-09 — Ovechkin has a chance to shatter Gordie Howe’s record of 44 goals for the most scored by a player in his age-37 season or later.