Ovechkin passes Lemieux, ties Yzerman for 9th on all-time goals list
Alex Ovechkin passed Mario Lemieux on the all-time goals list and is now tied with Steve Yzerman for ninth at 692 after scoring his second hat trick in as many games Saturday.
The Washington Capitals superstar entered Saturday's game against the New York Islanders needing just one goal to tie Lemieux at 690. He scored early in the first period, and in the third, Ovechkin managed to bury his second goal of the game to pass Lemieux.
WELCOME TO THE TOP 10 , @ovi8 #CapsIsles #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/SO3wwuCS2i
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 18, 2020
Ovechkin added an empty-netter to complete the hat trick and tie Yzerman. He now sits just two goals behind Mark Messier.
| Position | Player | GP | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayne Gretzky | 1487 | 894 |
| 2 | Gordie Howe | 1767 | 801 |
| 3 | Jaromir Jagr | 1733 | 766 |
| 4 | Brett Hull | 1269 | 741 |
| 5 | Marcel Dionne | 1348 | 731 |
| 6 | Phil Esposito | 1281 | 717 |
| 7 | Mike Gartner | 1432 | 708 |
| 8 | Mark Messier | 1756 | 694 |
| 9 | Steve Yzerman | 1514 | 692 |
| 10 | Alex Ovechkin | 1133 | 692 |
| 11 | Mario Lemieux | 915 | 690 |
The 34-year-old Ovechkin is on pace to make the leap from 600 to 700 goals in only 159 games, which would be the fewest games needed among all members of the 700-goal club, according to NHL Public Relations. If he maintains that pace, it would be the least amount of games needed among all players who currently rank inside the top 10.
Ovechkin has been on a tear in recent action. He also recorded a hat trick in his last game and has scored eight goals in his last three contests, bringing him to 34 on the year.