Alexander Ovechkin needs just two more goals to become just the eighth player in NHL history to reach 700 in his career. Given his video game-like scoring pace in recent days (16 goals in last 10 games), it's likely he reaches the milestone on Saturday when the Washington Capitals host the Philadelphia Flyers.
Ovechkin is still lighting up the NHL in 2019-20 at age 34; he recently passed hockey legends like Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman and Mark Messier on the all-time goals leaderboard and he co-leads the NHL in goals scored this season, too.
The Washington captain surpassed Toronto Maple Leaf Auston Matthews and Boston Bruin David Pastrnak atop the goals chart with a natural hat trick that led the Capitals to victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday and made him the first player to reach 40 tallies this season (Matthews scored his 40th Friday night). If he gets the two goals on Saturday, Ovechkin will be the second-fastest player ever to score 700 goals (1,138 games), trailing only Wayne Gretzky (886 games).
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Ovechkin didn't appear too worked up over how close he is to the important scoring milestone after that hat trick, telling reporters he hoped to work on improving Washington's power play in the days before the Capitals play host to Philadelphia.
“If you’re going to think about it too much, you’re never going to get it," he said on Wednesday. "So you just have go out there and play.”
The Flyers (29-18-7, 65 points) remain in the midst of the Eastern Conference's wild-card race through Friday's games. Philadelphia is one of the league's better defensive groups this season (2.91 goals against/game, 28.6 shots against/game), and keeping Ovechkin from reaching 700 goals one game longer serves as extra incentive for a Flyers squad the Capitals could potentially see again in the playoffs.
Here's everything you need to know to tune into Saturday's potentially historic game.
How to watch Philadelphia Flyers vs. Washington Capitals
- TV channel: ESPN+, NBCSWA, NBCSP
- Live stream: NHL.tv
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Washington Capitals: What time is puck drop?
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 7
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Washington Capitals head-to-head, 2019-20
| Date | Result |
|---|---|
| Nov. 13 | Capitals 2, Flyers 1 |
| Jan. 8 | Capitals 2, Flyers 3 |
Philadelphia Flyers' next five games
| Date | Game |
|---|---|
| Feb. 8 | at Washington Capitals |
| Feb. 10 | vs. Florida Panthers |
| Feb. 11 | at New York Islanders |
| Feb. 13 | at Florida Panthers |
| Feb. 15 | at Tampa Bay Lightning |
Washington Capitals' next five games
| Date | Game |
|---|---|
| Feb. 8 | vs. Philadelphia Flyers |
| Feb. 10 | vs, New York Islanders |
| Feb. 13 | at Colorado Avalanche |
| Feb. 15 | at Arizona Coyotes |
| Feb. 17 | at Vegas Golden Knights |
(All times Eastern)