SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin tied one NHL record in his pursuit of another before leaving during the third period with an apparent left leg injury.
Ovechkin scored twice on Utah goaltender Connor Ingram on Monday night, marking the 178th different goaltender he has scored on in his 20-year NHL career. He is tied for the league record with Jaromir Jagr. His first goal came with 8:55 left in the first period. He struck again on a power play 5:38 into the second.
“It’s beyond impressive what he does,” Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren said. “When it rains, it pours for him. It truly does. He finds ways to get to scoring areas and when he does and the puck is on his stick, he doesn’t miss. He’s our leader. He’s our bull.”
Karel Vejmelka replaced Ingram in the net for Utah immediately following Ovechkin’s second goal.
Ovechkin went to the Capitals' bench with an apparent lower leg injury 5:30 into the third after colliding with Utah forward Jack McBain and crumpling to the ice. He was evaluated after the game, but no update on his injury will be available until Tuesday at the earliest.
“Hate to see it,” Washington forward Nic Dowd said. “He's been absolutely on fire, and he's huge for our team. He's our captain. ... He's been playing incredible hockey."
On Sunday night, Ovechkin tied Patrick Marleau for the second most different goalies scored on by netting a pair of goals against former Capitals goalie Ilya Samsonov. He added an empty-net goal with 37 seconds remaining to earn his 31st career hat trick.
With Monday’s goals, Ovechkin needs only 27 goals to pass Wayne Gretzky for the NHL career-goals record. The 39-year-old Russian has tallied 15 goals through 18 games, moving him up to 868 career goals in his 20th season.
He’s scored five in the last two games alone.
“He’s been phenomenal this year, leading the charge on our team,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. “In times where you need these types of games, you need guys to step up and score, make a big play. He’s continued to do that. Off to a phenomenal start this year.”
Ovechkin’s two goals helped the Capitals to a 6-2 win over Utah. Washington has won four straight on the road while totaling 24 goals over those four games.
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John Coon, The Associated Press