Fans came out in droves for the New York Islanders game on Sunday, April 6, but not exactly for the Islanders. Washington Capitals captain, Alexander Ovechkin, stood to break the all-time goals record set by Wayne Gretzky in 1999. Gretzky scored his 894th career goal as a New York Ranger in a game against the Islanders.
More importantly for the Islanders’ season, prior to Sunday, the Isles sat seven points out of a playoff spot. While most hockey enthusiasts have written the Islanders off for this season, the Eastern Conference in the National Hockey League is so tight in the points, so New York still has a shot: winning this game was crucial.
The Islanders started the game strong, demonstrating a solid game and focus, the likes of which has been fleeting this season. The first period showcased a cohesive defensive effort from the Islanders and goaltender, Ilya Sorokin, who stopped eight shots from Washington. One of those eight shots included a near tip-in chance for Ovechkin that had the crowd going wild. Despite not being there specifically for the Islanders, the home team seemed to feed off the energy of the crowd and stuck to their game. Not only were the Islanders strong defensively in the first, but they were able to net two past Charlie Lindgren, who came away with 18 saves on the Islanders’ 22 shots. Simon Holmsrom’s on-ice awareness led to a pass from behind the goal line to Bo Horvat, giving Horvat the chance to wrist the puck over Lindgren’s pads. Using the momentum from the first goal, within two minutes, the Islanders found the back of the net with a tic-tac-toe play between Kyle MacLean and Marc Gatcomb, who would record the tally.
Up two goals, the Islanders looked to start the second period strong and continue using the energy of the crowd to their advantage. Casey Cizikas took a tripping penalty in the corner and to say the momentum abruptly came to a stop would be an understatement. The penalty kill started off with a good clear by the home team and then everything stopped. The game appeared to move in slow motion: a pass from Dylan Strome, over to Tom Wilson, and, finally, right to the tape of Alexander Ovechkin. On the power play, at the top of the circle, referred to as his “office,” Ovechkin ripped the puck past Sorokin, scoring his first goal ever on the Islanders’ goaltender—and scoring his 895th goal, officially becoming the record holder for all-time goals in the NHL.
Immediately following the goal was a 20 minute ceremony on the ice to commemorate the moment and for Wayne Gretzky to pass the torch to Ovi, just as Gordie Howe did for him. (Fun fact: Gordie Howe scored his final goal on April 6, setting the original record at 801 goals.)
The Islanders were determined to keep the game in control following the ceremony. Just three game minutes after Ovechkin’s monumental goal, Gatcomb wristed yet another puck past Lindgren, putting himself on hat trick watch and giving the Islanders their two-goal lead back. Matt Martin’s read on the ice gave Gatcomb that chance, swinging the momentum back in the home team’s favor.
The remainder of the game showed Isles Nation that this team is not out of the race yet and could still sneak their way into the wild card two spot. A final goal by J.G. Pageau cemented the win for the Islanders, scoring four to the Capitals’ lone goal from Ovechkin, although that’s all the team really needed. The Islanders had 18 blocked shots in the game and Sorokin stopped 28 of the 29 he was presented with—a great showing against an offensively dominant Capitals team.
The Islanders will take on the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, April 8, and attempt to gain another two points in the playoff race.
