Jaromir Jagr rooting for Alex Ovechkin as Capitals face Islanders
Anthony Scultore
|
Hockey legend Jaromir Jagr is waiting for Alex Ovechkin to break the tie between them on the NHL’s All-Time goal scoring list on Tuesday.
“Come on Ovi,” Jagr posted on Twitter. “I already send a video to congratulate you,I need a motivation to come back.”
It’s unlikely Jagr would return to the NHL as he owns Kladno in the Czech Extraliga. The 50 year-old recently moved his team’s regular season to an 18,000 seat arena to help Ukranian refugees.
Alex Ovechkin chasing milestone goal
Alex Ovechkin will get another chance at a landmark goal when the never-say-die Washington Capitals host the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
Ovechkin has no goals over his last two games, keeping his career total at 766 goals and tied with Jaromir Jagr for third place on the NHL’s all-time goals list. Ovechkin also is tied with Brett Hull for 23rd place on the all-time points list (1,391).
“It’s always nice to hear those kind of milestones, numbers,” Ovechkin said after tying Jagr. “It’s pretty big, obviously, and how I always said, being with those names and in this company, it’s a pretty cool moment.”
While Ovechkin undoubtedly would love to achieve new milestones on home ice, his first focus is on securing another victory for the rolling Capitals.
Washington is 4-0-1 over its last five games, bringing the team within five points of the New York Rangers for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Capitals are returning home after a three-game trip that saw them trail in the third period of all three contests. Still, the Capitals recorded five of a possible six points, including a 4-3 overtime win Friday over the Vancouver Canucks.
“I think everyone wants him to pass him and I’m sure he’s eager to do it, too,” forward Nicklas Backstrom said Monday. “But it will come soon enough.”
NHL.com
Islanders will be a tough opponent
The Islanders are coming off a gritty victory of their own, extending their winning streak to three games with Sunday’s 4-3 decision over the Anaheim Ducks. Though Anaheim outshot New York 42-29, the Islanders held on for the type of tight win that often has eluded the club this season.
“I believe in the hockey gods, and if you put in the work, you usually get rewarded at some point. … Maybe that’s one of those games that we get back a little bit,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said.
Four different Islanders players are on four-game points streaks, with Anders Lee (seven goals, one assist) leading the quartet with eight points during his surge. Anthony Beauvillier has seven assists, and Kyle Palmieri (two goals, three assists) and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (one goal, four assists) each have five points apiece.
Per the Islanders’ usual goaltending rotation, Semyon Varlamov is in line to start on Tuesday. If Trotz opts to play the hotter goalie, however, Ilya Sorokin has a 4-1-0 record and a .954 save percentage over his last five starts.
–Field Level Media contributed to this report