Move over, Wayne Gretzky. You've got company. Alex Ovechkin scored career goals 893 and 894 on Friday, tying Gretzky for the all-time goal lead. Here's the record-tying goal from Ovechkin, scored against Spencer Knight:

OVECHKIN AGAIN! GOAL 894!!! 😱

HE'S TIED THE ALL-TIME GOALS RECORD! #Gr8Chase

🇺🇸: @NHLNetwork
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/JZ3OZKTfGn

— NHL (@NHL) April 5, 2025

I have to admit that when a Capitals fan presented the idea to me about five years ago that Ovechkin could break the goal record, I didn't think it was possible. After all, Gretzky's major records seemed untouchable! Ovechkin continues to defy age at nearly 40 years of age, with only Leon Draisaitl and William Nylander ahead in total goals this season in spite of Ovechkin missing over a month with a fractured fibula. Ovechkin now has 41 goals this season, just one behind Nylander.

Wayne Gretzky – 894 goals in 1487 games
Alex Ovechkin – 894 goals in 1486 games#Gr8Chase pic.twitter.com/UPNuT6ExyE

— NHL (@NHL) April 5, 2025

What's more remarkable is that at age 39, Ovechkin is the second-oldest player to score 40 goals in a season. Gordie Howe scored 44 goals in 1968-69 as a 40-year-old. This is another example of why Ovechkin will be one of hockey's all-time greats once he decides to call it a career.

As for the Ovechkin watch, the Capitals' next game is Sunday against the Islanders at 12:30 pm Eastern time (bright and early at 9:30 am Pacific time, where I live). Fun fact: Ilya Sorokin has never allowed a goal to Ovechkin. Could his first goal allowed to Ovie become the answer to a trivia question?

As I was watching the end of the Capitals/Blackhawks game, attention turned to whether Ovechkin's record-setting goal would be an empty-netter (with the belief that he does not want the record-setting goal to be into an empty net – that seems honest). Instead, it was Ryan Leonard scoring his first NHL goal (and point) with the empty-net insurance goal in his third NHL game. Leonard finished the game with four shots and two hits in 13:01 of icetime, playing on a line with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Aliaksei Protas.

Protas, by the way, left the game with what appeared to be a leg injury. Consider him questionable for Sunday's game.  

John Carlson led the Capitals in points in the 5-3 win, registering three assists. Dylan Strome finished with a goal and an assist, giving him seven points over his last four games. Usually known more for hits and blocked shots, Martin Fehervary scored a goal, giving him three points in his last four games.

With Logan Thompson out with an upper-body injury, Charlie Lindgren will likely start the majority of the Capitals' six remaining games. Lindgren picked up his second win in three games, making 19 saves.

For Chicago, Frank Nazar finished with a goal and an assist, while Oliver Moore and Landon Slaggert each picked up two assists. Having been eliminated from the playoff race for a while, the Blackhawks are embracing the youth movement late in the season. All three of these players are under 23 years old, while none have played in more than 50 career NHL games.

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The Ovechkin game overshadowed two other games that were played on Friday. Let's start with Carolina/Detroit, where the Red Wings pulled out a 5-3 win. Alex DeBrincat scored a goal and added an assist, while Dylan Larkin chipped in two assists. Jaccob Slavin picked up two assists for the Hurricanes.

The Minnesota/NY Islanders game had playoff implications, with the Islanders trying to claw back into the wild-card race in the East and the Wild trying to ensure they don't let their reasonably secure wild-card spot slip away with a late-season slump. The Isles took this game 3-1. Noah Dobson led the Islanders with a power-play goal and an assist.

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Time for some injury updates for players:

According to coach Kris Knoblauch, Leon Draisaitl is out short-term with a lower-body injury. Draisaitl will miss today's (Saturday's) game against Los Angeles, although he is expected to return to the lineup before the playoffs. A total of 13 games are on the slate, so you should easily be able to find an adequate (although not Draisaitl-level) replacement from your bench or the waiver wire. I would have to think that Jeff Skinner gets back onto the Oils' top power play sans Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.

Dylan Holloway is considered week-to-week after leaving Thursday's game with a lower-body injury. This injury might cool the Blues off a little, as they have now won 11 games in a row. In Holloway's absence, Jake Neighbours has been moved onto a line with Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou, while rookie Jimmy Snuggerud was moved onto Neighbours' spot alongside Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas. Neighbours (25% Yahoo) is the most obvious add/stream, while Snuggerud (0% Yahoo) is more of a deep league option just two games into his career.

Nikolaj Ehlers is expected to be a game-time decision today (Saturday) against Utah. That's not the worst possible news, but have another option at the ready in case Ehlers can't go. Also note that five games start before 7 pm ET today, in case your favorite option plays in an early game before the 7 pm ET puck drop for Winnipeg/Utah.

Gabriel Landeskog hasn't played in so long that the potential for a return might fall under the "have to see it to believe it" category. Landeskog is expected to practice with Colorado's AHL affiliate before joining the Avalanche's practice on Monday. Landeskog has reportedly been taking contact at Avalanche practice earlier this week, so a return is a very real possibility. Landeskog last played in 2021-22, so he hasn't played in nearly three whole seasons. Regardless of whether he can still score at a fantasy-relevant level, Landeskog will be a very interesting player to watch if and when he returns.

As you are probably aware as you set your fantasy lineup, there are many more injuries to key players at the moment. You can find the latest list over at the Frozen Tools Player News feed, or you can search for a player at Frozen Tools and click the Info/Analysis link on their player profile.

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Possible waiver-wire pickups among teams playing on both Saturday and Sunday (Boston, Buffalo, Columbus, Dallas, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Vancouver, Vegas):

Jack Quinn: Take your pick from the Sabres, who for once have a long list of players on the Frozen Tools Hot Players list. I'll go with Quinn, who has considerable scoring upside, has registered nine points in his last five games, and is just 3% rostered in Yahoo leagues. Shallower leaguers may want to look into JJ Peterka's availability (50% Yahoo), while Ryan McLeod (10 PTS in last 6 GP, 9% Yahoo) is another Sabre with a hot stick. I should also mention that Peyton Krebs (0% Yahoo/11% Fantrax) has six points in his last five games.

Morgan Geekie: Who figured that the Bruins would be one point behind the Sabres with two more games played this late in the season? Despite Boston's 10-game losing streak, Geekie has seven points over his last five games while playing on David Pastrnak's line. Somebody has to score among what's left in Boston.  

Mason Marchment: I streamed Marchment last week and he helped me a bit. Over his last four games he has piled up seven points while playing on a line with Matt Duchene and Mikael Granlund. On a 63-point full-season pace, Marchment should help with scoring volume.

Mackie Samoskevich: I've mentioned him on here before, but I'll reiterate that Samoskevich has been on Florida's top power play for a month now. Since March 1, Samoskevich has 11 points in 15 games – eight of which have been on the power play for the double word score of fantasy hockey (Scrabble term, if you're not familiar).

Pius Suter: It's hard to find a player who has improved his stock more over the past few weeks than Suter. The Canucks' default top center for the moment, Suter has eight points over his last five games, averaging nearly 22 minutes per game over that span. Suter is on a contract year, so he is maximizing his value at the right time.

Mathieu Olivier: The bangers league special among the forward group here, Olivier has what are easily career highs across the board this season (17 G, 12 A, 127 PIM, 102 SOG, 277 HITS). Olivier plays in the Blue Jackets' bottom six, so I don't think the scoring holds up. Yet if you need bangers categories, he's worth a look (21% Yahoo/33% Fantrax).

Matt Grzelcyk: If you need scoring help on defense, Grzelcyk (5% Yahoo/29% Fantrax) has five points over his last six games. He has been on and off Pittsburgh's top power play this season.

Nikita Zadorov: The behemoth (6-6, 248 lb.) defenseman may never live up to his $5 million cap hit in Boston. Yet for the weekend, the league leader in penalty minutes (137 PIM) might be the right guy for not only penalty minutes but also hits and blocks (nearly 200 hits and 100 blocked shots).

Casey DeSmith: DeSmith should be guaranteed one of the weekend starts against either Pittsburgh or Minnesota. He has posted great numbers recently with a 1.47 GAA and .959 SV% over his last four games – all quality starts. The Stars have clinched a playoff spot with an outside chance at winning the Central Division and avoiding a first-round matchup with Colorado. That means DeSmith could be good for 2-3 more starts while the Stars rest Jake Oettinger a bit.

James Reimer: If you need a goaltending stream and DeSmith is unavailable, Reimer (4% Yahoo/7% Fantrax) has reeled off five consecutive wins, with four of them being quality starts. Now 37 years of age, Reimer has been on the "meh" pile of goalies for quite some time. But you're trying to win your matchup this week, not impress your snobbiest leaguemate. The Sunday matchup with the Bruins would be juicy, although you may have to settle for the Saturday home date with the Lightning (go to GoaliePost for the latest starting goalie info).

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