Tuesday night was pure chaos in the NHL. And guess who stole the show? Alex Ovechkin! The Washington Capitals’ legend scored his 878th goal for Washington in the team’s 6-3 triumph over the Panthers at Capital One Arena. He has been on a scoring spree, scoring in the last three games, and has registered a total of 25 goals this season. But the real jaw-dropper?

A buzzer-beater beauty in the third period—literally at the last second—sending the arena into an absolute frenzy. And as if that wasn’t electric enough, Alex Ovechkin’s heroics earned him a playful chirp from a teammate with a name-drop that hockey fans never get tired of—Wayne Gretzky! Because when you’re casually pulling off game-winning magic, who else would you be compared to?

Alex Ovechkin receives a playful jab!

After the game, Sammi Silber, Capitals beat reporter for The Hockey News, hopped on X to share a golden nugget from Tom Wilson about Alex Ovechkin’s jaw-dropping buzzer-beater. And let’s say, Wilson was in awe—just like the rest of us.

“I mean something special is happening to Poise,” Wilson said, still buzzing from the madness. “For him to fake the shot with 3 seconds left and put it in with a tenth of a second left.I mean it’s because it’s Gretzky I guess so we’ll just keep chasing here.Pretty amazing to see that one go on with that much time left.” Yup, when your teammates casually drop The Great One’s name, you know you’re doing something legendary!

And guess what? Alex Ovechkin is now only 17 goals behind Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 goals in the NHL! The finish line is in sight, and the GOAT race is heating up. And if the Great One himself has said it, then it means it is only a matter of time! Wayne Gretzky told NHL.com earlier this season, “It’s just a matter of time, whether it’s late this year, early next year, whenever. I mean, he’s a great player. He’s a great goal scorer.”

And let’s be real—when Gretzky gives you that kind of nod, you know history is practically knocking at the door. And, of course, one cannot ignore Ovechkin scored his 19th 25-goal season and is only behind the legend, Gordie Howe, who has 20. But wait for it. That is not yet the best of it.

This game had an extra sprinkle of magic—something that made the night even more unforgettable!

A special night for the Washington Capitals!

The game between the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers hit an early pause, but not because of the action on the ice or because of the legendary stats of Alex Ovechkin. The spectators and the players leaped up in joy when Capital One Arena made an announcement that brought a wave of relief to the fans. The Caps fans had been waiting for this moment for almost a month and when it arrived, the happiness was evident.

At the beginning of January, the Capitals community received some shocking information. Their beloved color commentator and Monumental Sports Network analyst, and one-half of the iconic ‘Joe B. & Locker’ duo, Craig Laughlin, announced that he was taking time off for open-heart surgery. But after weeks of waiting and hoping, his daughter, Courtney Laughlin, finally brightened up the event with the update everyone was waiting for.

“Update: my dad is stable after undergoing what the surgeon said was a successful surgery. He still has a long way to go on his road to recovery and will be in the ICU for at least another day,” she said. And the moment those words reached the arena, Caps fans rose to their feet, giving Locker a well-deserved standing ovation—because that’s what family does.