Ovechkin scored his 61th career empty-netter (and the fourth this season) in the last minute against the Nashville Predators. The 39-year-old Russian is playing his 20th season in the NHL, in which he reached the 20-goal mark, while the Caps won 4-1 (0-0, 1-1, 3-0).
It was also Ovi's 873th goal in NHL regular season. Thus, he narrowed the gap with the league's record holder, Canada's Wayne Gretzky, to 21 goals.
Previously, the feat was achieved by NHL record holder Gordie Howe (22 seasons) and Rob Francis (20). Ovechkin also became the first European hockey player to reach this peak, ahead of Jaromir Jagr (19 seasons). In addition, the 39-year-old Russian forward for Washington became the second player in NHL history after Gordie Howe to score at least 20 goals in each of the league championships for 20 seasons in a row. Ovechkin debuted in the NHL in 2005 for the Capitals, playing for them throughout his entire career in the league. He is playing his 20th season in the NHL and has scored at least 20 goals in each.