With OT goal, his 874th, Ovechkin scores on goalie No. 179 - ESPN

Alex Ovechkin broke one NHL record and in the process moved a step closer to another one Thursday night.

The Washington Capitals star broke the mark for the most goaltenders scored on, beating Leevi Merilainen in overtime to give the Capitals a 1-0 victory over theSenators in Ottawa, Ontario.

Merilainen became the 179th goalie Ovechkin has scored against, breaking a tie with Jaromir Jagr atop the career list.

It marked the first time Ovechkin scored an OT goal in a 1-0 game in his career. It was also his 13th career OT goal on the road, surpassing Jagr and John Tavares for the most in NHL history.

Of course, Ovechkin is chasing an even bigger record — Wayne Gretzky's career goals record. With No. 874, he moved 21 away from passing Gretzky's mark of 894 that long seemed unapproachable.

The 39-year-old winger is on pace to get to 895 and beyond this spring.

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Thursday's tally came with 1:53 left in overtime. He took a pass from Rasmus Sandin on a 2-on-1 breakaway and fired it past Merilainen, who made 26 saves.

Ovechkin raised his arms and pumped his fist before he was mobbed by teammates. It was his 27th career overtime goal, extending his record. Sidney Crosby is second with 22.

It was Ovechkin's 21st of the season in just his 29th game — he missed 16 games because of a broken left leg. He has gotten to 20 in all 20 of his seasons in the league, including 2013 when a lockout shortened it to 48 games and 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic cut the schedule to 56 games.

Information from ESPN Research and The Associated Press was used in this report.