It wasn't the most exciting showdown between the Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators, but instead, a goalie duel between rising starter Logan Thompson and rookie Leevi Meriläinen. Then, Alex Ovechkin did what he does best: steal the show.

The 39-year-old winger took a pass from Rasmus Sandin on a 2-on-1 breakaway and fired it past rookie Leevi Merilainen, the record 179th goaltender he's scored on.

Each morning, we will bring you three key NHL stories. Here, you can stay updated on the latest team wins and losses, trade talk, and player news from around the NHL.

OTTAWA -- Alex Ovechkin scored his 874th NHL goal at 3:07 of overtime, giving the Washington Capitals a 1-0 win against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.

Alex Ovechkin scored with 1:53 left in overtime to give the Washington Capitals a 1-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. Ovechkin's goal was the 874th of his career, moving him within 20 of Wayne Gretzky's NHL record,

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pierre-Luc Dubois scored his second goal of the game late in overtime, Logan Thompson made ... He is 23 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL career record.

Alex Ovechkin is closing in on Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goal record. Ovechkin has scored 872 goals in 1,451 games. He is just 23 goals away from breaking Gretzky's tally of 894 goals in 1,487 games.

WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin scored his 872nd career goal to move 23 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL ... netter with 37.5 seconds left, and Logan Thompson made 28 saves to compensate ...

Artemi Panarin scored twice, Chris Kreider got the go-ahead goal with 9:38 left and the New York Rangers rallied for a 5-3 victory over the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night. Reilly Smith tied it 3-all with a short-handed goal 28 seconds into the third period for the Rangers,

At the midway point of the 2024-25 NHL season, Sportsnet's Sonny Sachdeva highlights the most intriguing stats from the first half of the campaign.

They’re now 3-4-3 since the Christmas break, partially due to a major uptick in quality chances allowed at five-on-five; they were at 2.18 per 60 heading into the holiday, fourth-best in the NHL. In the 10 games since, though, they’re over 2.5.