Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will play his 1,500th NHL game on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators at Capital One Arena, becoming the eighth player in league history to achieve the milestone with one franchise. Ovechkin enters the game with 899 career goals, one shy of becoming the first player to reach 900. The Capitals host Ottawa following a 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.
The Washington Capitals are set to host the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night at Capital One Arena in the second game of a back-to-back. Washington secured a 5-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, marking their sixth win in the last seven games. Ovechkin scored his 899th career goal in that contest, which proved to be the game-winner, and he nearly reached 900 on a late power play.
Ovechkin's 1,500th game marks a significant milestone, as he joins Gordie Howe, Patrick Marleau, Nicklas Lidstrom, Alex Delvecchio, Shane Doan, Ray Bourque, and Steve Yzerman as the only players to play 1,500 games with a single franchise. Since his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005, against Columbus, Ovechkin has appeared in 1,499 of the Capitals' 1,575 games, a 95.2 percent rate. The Capitals hold an 829-487-183 record (.614 points percentage) with Ovechkin in the lineup, compared to 36-35-5 (.507) without him.
As the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer, Ovechkin has netted goals in 684 of his 1,499 games (45.6 percent), the highest rate in league history for players with at least 1,000 games. Against Ottawa, he has 38 goals in 60 career games, including 19 goals in 30 home contests.
Caps coach Spencer Carbery praised Ovechkin's loyalty and impact: "To the outside world and the fans, and to specifically, me, I think it means a lot when you play for one organization." Teammate John Carlson added, "It’s special, what he’s done in this League. Obviously, he could be the most noteworthy ever." Ovechkin reflected, "It’s pretty cool, pretty special moment, obviously for me and for my family. I’m lucky enough to be able to play so many games for one team."
In team news, center Pierre-Luc Dubois returns after missing five games with a lower-body injury, while defenseman Rasmus Sandin sits out a second straight game with his own lower-body issue. Charlie Lindgren will start in net for Washington, facing Ottawa's Linus Ullmark.