Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) looks on during a break in the first period of an NHL preseason hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Thursday, October. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) looks on during a break in the first period of an NHL preseason hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Thursday, October. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
Alex Ovechkin has continued his record-breaking run. In the same streak, he has now reached 30 goals for the 20th time in 21 NHL seasons, setting a new all-time NHL record.
On March 31, 2026, the Washington Capitals took on the Philadelphia Flyers at the Capital One Arena. The Capitals won the game 6-4, and Alex Ovechkin scored two goals in the game.
His 30th goal this season came in the first period, when he scored his first goal of the game at 18:35. Matt Roy drove hard to the net, pulling Dan Vladar toward the left post and leaving the far side exposed, allowing Alex Ovechkin to finish with an easy tap-in.
He then scored one more goal at 3:47 in the third period. Connor McMichael’s backhand feed allows Ovechkin to fire a diving snap shot from the bottom of the right circle past Vladar to extend the lead to 5-3.
Ovechkin becomes the 4th player to score 30 goals at the age of 40. Apart from him, the other three players were Gordie Howe, Johnny Bucyk, and Teemu Selanne.
This season, Alex Ovechkin leads the team with 31 goals in 75 games. He only missed out on scoring 30 goals in a season during the 2020-21 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The season was abbreviated to 56 games. The 40-year-old scored 24 goals in 45 games.
A Look At The Numbers of Alex Ovechkin in the NHL
Alex Ovechkin has 30+ goals in 20 seasons, which is three more than Mike Gartner's. He also has 40+ goals in 14 seasons. The veteran is also tied with Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy when it comes to 50+ goals in a season. All three have 9 seasons with 50+ goals.
In April 2025, the Capitals winger broke Wayne Gretzky's record of 894 regular-season goals. Overall, he now has 1000+ goals (regular seasons + playoffs) and is only the second player to reach 1000+.
His goals tally is now 928, and along with his 77 playoff goals, he has 1005 goals overall in the NHL. He is just behind the all-time great, Gretzky, who has 1016 goals.
At 40 years old, Alex Ovechkin continues to prove that greatness in the NHL is not just about talent, but also about consistency and longevity. As the Capitals push toward the postseason, Ovechkin’s leadership remains just as valuable as his scoring touch.
At the moment, they are at No. 6 with 85 points in the Wild Card standings. The next few games will be important for them, and they hope that their captain continues to come out well in the upcoming encounters.
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Written by
Kapil Manghnani
Edited by
Kaamna Dwivedi