Alexander Ovechkin received a fantastic opportunity during the final minute of the NHL match between the Washington Capitals and the Florida Panthers at Capital One Arena. And the home crowd got to see what they were waiting for a long time. Indeed, Ovechkin scored, and now he is just 17 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record.

However, the way the Caps’ captain secured the sixth goal for his team immediately came to the notice of the critics. As they flamed him with empty net allegations, the moment they got to see the video that showcased the way he scored his goal no. 878 of his stellar career.

The first period of the game was heated, as it took a while for the crowd to see a goal. And the first one came from the home team’s Andrew Mangapane. However, the joy for the Caps turned into pressure after an equalizer by the Panthers’ Sam Bennett. So 1-1 was the score when the first period ended, and the second period was no different as both of the teams secured one goal each.

With 2-2, the teams headed to the third period, and two minutes into it, the Capitals’ Lars Eller managed to score, followed by teammate Nic Dowd. However, Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk tried to open a room for his team with a score in the 13th minute, making the scoreboard 4-3. For the rest of the game, until the final 2 minutes, there were no goals, and at one point, the Panthers left their net empty to maximize the attacking.

However, this created a chance for the Caps to score, too. Aliaksei Protas was the first one to take the opportunity, and with a few seconds to the end of the game, Alexander Ovechkin did his magic. As seen on Sportsnet’s X profile, after a prolific pass from Martin Fehervary, the Russian NHL star had full control of the puck.

Ovie is aware of maximizing the opportunities, and this time was no different. Beyond the blue line of the Panthers, Ovechkin aimed for the net and shot the puck, securing a comfortable goal in the final few seconds, making the home crowd go crazy. This goal was his career’s 878th, and now he is just 17 goals away from making history in the NHL. However, while the Caps’ fans were pleased with their captain, the critics had a different opinion.

Critical about Alexander Ovechkin’s empty netter

An empty net goal is simple to understand, as there’s no goaltender to defend the puck. Indeed, it’s easy to score, and since many of Alexander Ovechkin’s goals have been in this way recently, the critics are not happy about it. One user stated, “Gretzky beat records by scoring goals, making plays. Ovie is just sinking empty netters due to him way less of threat these days in all areas. Nothing has been exciting about this chase in the littlest.” Another user put up an allegation, stating, “Empty net merchant who never cared about winning. Only cared about his own stats and trophies.”

The era of Wayne Gretzky is completely different from Alexander Ovechkin’s. While there is criticism, did the Great One never have a problem with the Russian NHL star chasing his record? Not really. When asked in an interview, the Canadian ice hockey legend shared his thoughts, stating, “He’s human. He’ll get nervous near the end.”

Indeed, such an opportunity doesn’t come every time in everyone’s career, and Gretzky knows how rare it is. So he had nothing but support for the Caps’ captain. Another user shared their prediction, stating, “The record breaker is going to be an empty netter isn’t it? Ugh.” Similarly, this comment read, “Empty net his way to victory.” This user shared their frustration, stating, “What a total disgrace to the sport. I saw the final score and immediately went to the box score and knew there was an empty netter and I was right. What a POS.”

Things on a rink might not always be in the favor of a player. But making opportunities like this is always beneficial for someone’s statistics. Apart from Alexander Ovechkin’s goal, the performance that the Caps showcased against the Panthers reveals their nature of being a Stanley Cup contender in the current NHL season.