Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goals record stood tall for more than three decades before Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals eclipsed him on Sunday. Ovechkin’s 895th career goal came on a second-period power play and was Washington’s lone goal in a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.
So how many of those goals have been scored against the New York Rangers, one of Washington’s biggest rivals?
Ovi has played 76 regular-season games against the Rangers and scored 46 goals against New York, the fifth-most he’s scored against any NHL team. Of those 46 goals, more than half (24) were scored against Henrik Lundqvist. Only Marc-Andre Fleury (28) has surrendered more goals to Ovechkin than The King.
Next up on the list of Rangers is Alexandar Georgiev with eight goals, followed by Igor Shesterkin with five.
Ovechkin scored the remaining nine goals against six different Rangers goalies: three were against Cam Talbot, two on Steve Valiquette and one goal each against Kevin Weekes, Antti Raanta, Keith Kinkaid and Jonathan Quick.
He’s scored 24 times at even strength against the Rangers, and 22 of his NHL-record 325 power-play goals have come against New York — as have two of his five career shorthanded goals.
Noteworthy Alex Ovechkin goals scored against Rangers
Here are some notable goals Ovechkin has scored against the Rangers during his illustrious career.
Goal #1 – Oct. 10, 2005
In his first game against the Rangers and the fourth of his NHL career, Ovechkin found the back of the net. The then 20-year-old put a power-play goal past Weekes midway through the third period to give Washington a 3-2 win.
Goal #2 – Dec. 3, 2005
A little less than two months later, Ovechkin scored his first of 24 goals against Lundqvist and added three assists in the Capitals’ 5-1 victory.
Goals #8 and #9 – Dec. 23, 2008
The Great 8’s first two-goal game against the Rangers came in his fourth season; his second goal of the night tied the game in the third period, and Washington went on to win in overtime.
Goal #16 – March 24, 2013
Ovechkin scored a goal and added an assist, but the game went to a shootout. Ovi scored his only career shootout goal against the Rangers, helping the Caps to a 3-2 victory.
Goals #25 and #26 – Jan. 9, 2016
Washington’s captain scored a power-play goal against Lundqvist, then connected for the overtime winner – the only one of his NHL-record 27 OT goals he’s scored against the Blueshirts.
Goals #31 and #32 – Oct. 17, 2018
Ovechkin’s two power-play goals marked the last time he scored against Lundqvist.
Goals #34 and #35 – March 5, 2020
Two third-period goals by Ovechkin, the second of which came with less than a minute remaining in regulation and sent the game to overtime, should get remembered, right? Instead, they are a mere footnote — that was the night Mika Zibanejad scored five goals, including the game-winner in overtime, for the Rangers.
Goal #46 – March 5, 2025
Ovechkin’s most recent goal against the Rangers came a little over a month before breaking Gretzky’s record, fittingly on the power play past Shesterkin. The goal was No. 885 in his brilliant career.
Ovechkin has 32 hat tricks and 65 empty net goals – surprisingly, none of either has come against the Rangers.
Alex Ovechkin vs. Rangers in Stanley Cup Playoffs
Though postseason goals are a separate category from regular-season goals, it’s still worth taking a look at how Ovechkin has fared against the Rangers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. New York and Washington have played six postseason series in the Ovechkin era. Four of the six series went the distance, a full seven games.
2009 – First Round (Washington won 4-3)
The Rangers jumped out to a 3-1 series lead, but Washington won the next three to take the series in seven games. Ovechkin scored three goals and added four assists, averaging a point per game in the series.
2011 — First Round (Washington won 4-1)
Ovechkin scored three goals and had three assists as the Capitals took care of the Rangers in five games.
2012 – Eastern Conference Semifinals (Rangers won 4-3)
For the first time in Ovechkin’s career, New York and Washington met outside of the first round, engaging in an exciting series that saw the Rangers win two overtime games. Ovechkin had three goals and an assist (scoring one goal in each Washington win), but failed to contribute a point in Game 7, which New York won 2-1.
2013 – First Round (Rangers won 4-3)
New York and Washington met again in the first round, and again the series went seven games. This time, the Capitals pulled off two overtime victories and took a 3-2 series lead.
But their offense disappeared after that, as Lundqvist posted consecutive shutouts to clinch the series. Ovechkin went quiet after recording a goal and an assist in the first two games, failing to tally a point the rest of the series.
2015 – Eastern Conference Semifinals (Rangers won 4-3)
This seven-game set goes down as Ovechkin’s most iconic postseason matchup against the Blueshirts. After winning the Presidents’ Trophy as regular-season champion, New York trailed 3-1 in the series to Washington, and trailed by a goal in Game 5 with less than two minutes left in regulation.
But Chris Kreider tied it with 1:41 remaining, then Ryan McDonough won it in overtime. The Rangers won Game 6 on the road, then returned home for Game 7 – another overtime thriller. Ovechkin scored the Capitals’ only goal, and Derek Stepan netted the series-winning goal in overtime for the Rangers.
Ovechkin had three goals and an assist in the series.
2024 – First Round (Rangers won 4-0)
The Rangers made quick work of the Capitals in last year’s playoffs, sweeping them and keeping Ovechkin from making an impact. He did not have a point in the four games.
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