SALT LAKE CITY — Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin tied one NHL record in his pursuit of another.
Ovechkin scored on Utah goaltender Connor Ingram with 8:55 left in the first period on Monday night, making Ingram the 178th different goaltender he has scored on in his NHL career. He is tied for the league record with Jaromir Jagr.
On Sunday night, he tied Patrick Marleau for the second most in NHL history by scoring on former Capitals goalie Ilya Samsonov.
With Monday’s goal, Ovechkin needs only 28 goals to surpass Wayne Gretzky for the NHL career goals record. The 39-year-old Russian has tallied 14 goals through 18 games, moving him up to 867 career goals in his 20th season.
Ovechkin’s first-period goal helped the Capitals stake out a 3-1 lead over Utah going into the second period.