section_path: Playing career/Washington Capitals (2005–present)/Recent years, path to breaking all-time goal-record (2019–present)
section_name: Recent years, path to breaking all-time goal-record (2019–present)
paragraph_text: Recent years, path to breaking all-time goal-record (2019–present)
  
  On 30 November 2019, in a 5–2 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena, Ovechkin recorded his 24th career hat trick which passed Jari Kurri for 10th most hat tricks in NHL history. In that same game, he also recorded an assist on a goal by Tom Wilson for a four point night. On 24 January 2020, Ovechkin was named to the NHL all decade team for the 2010s. He ended the 2010s decade as the leading goal scorer (437 goals between 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2019) and the third most points (with 780), only trailing Sidney Crosby (788) and Patrick Kane (802), respectively. Ovechkin would be named captain for the 2020 National Hockey League All-Star Game, and again chose to skip the game on 26 January, to rest, and would serve another automatic one game suspension. On 22 February, Ovechkin scored his 700th career goal in the third period of a 3–2 loss against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center, making him the eighth player in NHL history to accomplish the feat. The 2019–20 season ended three weeks early due to restriction surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, so Ovechkin and Boston Bruins forward David Pastrňák were named co-winners of the Rocket Richard Trophy, with each having 48 goals at the time.
  
  The 2020–21 season would mark the first time in Ovechkin's NHL career where he would not score at least 30 goals and having finished with 24 goals mainly due to the season being shortened due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
  
  Ovechkin signed a five-year, $47.5 million contract extension with the Capitals on 27 July 2021. Ovechkin was a pending free agent at the time of the 2021 NHL expansion draft, allowing the Capitals to leave him unprotected for the Seattle Kraken to select and to protect other players; the Kraken ultimately selected goaltender Vítek Vaněček as their pick from Washington. He scored his 28th career hat trick, tying Marcel Dionne and Bobby Hull for sixth most in NHL history, on 26 November against the Florida Panthers. On 31 December, Ovechkin scored his 275th power play goal against the Detroit Red Wings, breaking Dave Andreychuk 's all-time record. On 15 March 2022, Ovechkin scored his 767th career NHL goal in a 4–3 win over the New York Islanders, moving him into third place for goals scored all-time in the NHL, passing Jaromír Jágr; he achieved the feat in 477 fewer games than Jagr, yet had also taken 400 more shots on goal. On 20 April, in a 4–3 overtime loss against the Vegas Golden Knights, he scored his 50th goal of the season for the ninth time in his career, tying Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky for having the most 50-goal seasons in NHL history. At 36 years and 215 days of age, he is the oldest player to score 50 goals in a season; the previous oldest was Johnny Bucyk, doing so at the age of 35 years and 308 days. He ended the 2021–22 season with 50 goals, 40 assists and 90 points in 77 games played as the Capitals finished the season as the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference. Ovechkin would also record a goal and five assists for six points in all six playoff games in the Capitals first round loss in the 2022 playoffs by the Presidents' Trophy -winning Florida Panthers.
  
  On 5 November 2022, Ovechkin scored his 787th goal with the Washington Capitals against the Arizona Coyotes, setting a new NHL record for most goals with one team, a record previously held by Gordie Howe. He set another NHL best on 29 November, surpassing Gretzky for most road goals with 403, after scoring two goals against the Vancouver Canucks. Ovechkin became the third player in NHL history to score 800 regular season goals, behind Howe and Gretzky, by scoring a hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on 13 December. It was also his 29th hat trick in the NHL, giving him the sixth most hat tricks by any player in the league's history. On 23 December, Ovechkin scored his 801st and 802nd career goals in a 4–1 win against the Winnipeg Jets, passing Gordie Howe for the second most goals in NHL history, behind only Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin tied Mike Gartner for having the most 30-goal seasons upon recording a 30-goal season for the 17th time on 14 January 2023, in a 3–1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. He surpassed Gretzky to set a new NHL record for most 40-goal seasons after securing his 13th on 21 March, in a 7–6 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Capitals would miss the 2023 playoffs by 12 points in the standings mainly due to injuries to other players on the team, marking the first time since 2014 where the Capitals missed the playoffs. Despite the team difficulties, Ovechkin still continued his individual success by having ended the 2022–23 season with 42 goals, 33 assists and 75 points in 73 games played.
  
  On 7 December 2023, Ovechkin recorded his 1,500th point with an assist on a goal scored by Dylan Strome in a 5–4 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars to become the 16th player in NHL history to reach the mark. Ovechkin later scored his 57th career empty-net goal in a 3–0 Capitals win over the Boston Bruins on 10 February 2024, passing Wayne Gretzky for the most all-time. On 9 April, Ovechkin scored his 30th goal of the season on Detroit Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon for his 18th 30-goal campaign, passing Mike Gartner for most 30-goal seasons in NHL history. He finished the 2023–24 season with 31 goals, 34 assists and 65 points in 79 games played. Ovechkin and the Capitals narrowly got back into the playoffs as the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference, however, Ovechkin did not record a single goal or assist as the Capitals were swept in four games by the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers in the first round of the 2024 playoffs.
  
  On 15 October 2024, Ovechkin recorded his 700th career assist on a goal by Aliaksei Protas in a 4–2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, becoming the 60th player in NHL history to reach the mark. On 2 November, he became the fourth player in NHL history 39 years of age or older to record three points in consecutive games (a goal and two assists in a 6–3 win against the Montreal Canadiens on 31 October and a goal and two assists in a 7–2 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets on 2 November) after Tim Horton (1968–69), Gordie Howe (1968–69) and Jean Ratelle (1980–81). On 18 November, in a 6–2 win over the Utah Hockey Club, Ovechkin sustained a broken fibula as a result of a knee-on-knee collision with Utah forward Jack McBain, sidelining him for four-to-six weeks. At the time of this injury, Ovechkin had a league-leading 15 goals (including two goals earlier in the game against Utah prior to the injury) along with 10 assists for 25 points in the first 18 games of the 2024–25 season. After missing 16 games, Ovechkin returned to the Capitals lineup on 28 December in a 5–2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he would record an empty-net goal. On 11 January 2025, Ovechkin scored an empty-net goal in a 4–1 win over the Nashville Predators, making him the second player in NHL history to record 20 consecutive 20-goal seasons, after Gordie Howe. On 16 January, Ovechkin recorded the lone goal of the game in a 1–0 overtime win against the Ottawa Senators. This goal on Senators goaltender Leevi Meriläinen resulted in Ovechkin surpassing Jaromir Jagr for most goalies scored on in NHL history with 179 different goaltenders since the start of his NHL career in 2005. On 23 February, Ovechkin recorded his 32nd career hat trick in a 7–3 victory against the Edmonton Oilers, making him the first player in NHL history to score 200 or more goals in three different decades (245 goals in the 2000s, a league high 437 goals in the 2010s and 200 in the 2020s). Over a month later, on 4 April, Ovechkin scored his 893rd and 894th goals in a 5–3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, tying Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goals record. His 893rd goal also marked his 40th of the season, extending his own record for 40-goal seasons to 14 and becoming only the second player in NHL history, after Gordie Howe, to record a 40-goal season at age 39 or older. During the Capitals' next game two days later, on 6 April, against the New York Islanders, Ovechkin scored the Capitals' only goal in the second period of a 4–1 loss on a power play against goaltender Ilya Sorokin to become the all-time NHL leading goal scorer. Ovechkin's record-breaking 895th goal came in his 1,487th career game, the same number of games as Gretzky's career total. Ovechkin ended the season with 44 goals and 29 assists for 73 points in 65 games as the Capitals as a team finished as the top seed in the Eastern Conference and the Presidents' Trophy runner-up. His 44 goals ranked third in the league only behind the 45 goals by Toronto Maple Leafs' winger William Nylander and the league-leading 52 goals by Edmonton Oilers' centre Leon Draisaitl, respectively. Ovechkin was also named the Capitals' nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy as the player who shows the best qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game of hockey but was not named a top three finalist by the NHL. On 21 April in the first game of the first round of the 2025 playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens, Ovechkin recorded two goals (including the game-winner) on goaltender Sam Montembeault and an assist on a goal by Anthony Beauvillier. The game-winning goal was Ovechkin's first career playoff overtime goal to give the Capitals a 3–2 OT victory to give the Capitals a 1–0 lead in the series. Ovechkin and the Capitals would eventually defeat the eighth-seeded Canadiens in five games, marking the first time the Capitals won a playoff series of any kind since the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals. The Capitals, however, were upset in the second round in five games by the Carolina Hurricanes. Ovechkin ended the playoffs with five goals and an assist for six points in all 10 games. For his efforts in the season and his continued impact off the ice, Ovechkin was named the winner of the Mark Messier Leadership Award by Mark Messier himself as the most superior leader within their sport by setting a positive example through on-ice performance and as a contributing member of his community.
  
  On 30 November 2019, in a 5–2 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena, Ovechkin recorded his 24th career hat trick which passed Jari Kurri for 10th most hat tricks in NHL history. In that same game, he also recorded an assist on a goal by Tom Wilson for a four point night. On 24 January 2020, Ovechkin was named to the NHL all decade team for the 2010s. He ended the 2010s decade as the leading goal scorer (437 goals between 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2019) and the third most points (with 780), only trailing Sidney Crosby (788) and Patrick Kane (802), respectively. Ovechkin would be named captain for the 2020 National Hockey League All-Star Game, and again chose to skip the game on 26 January, to rest, and would serve another automatic one game suspension. On 22 February, Ovechkin scored his 700th career goal in the third period of a 3–2 loss against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center, making him the eighth player in NHL history to accomplish the feat. The 2019–20 season ended three weeks early due to restriction surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, so Ovechkin and Boston Bruins forward David Pastrňák were named co-winners of the Rocket Richard Trophy, with each having 48 goals at the time.
  
  The 2020–21 season would mark the first time in Ovechkin's NHL career where he would not score at least 30 goals and having finished with 24 goals mainly due to the season being shortened due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
  
  Ovechkin signed a five-year, $47.5 million contract extension with the Capitals on 27 July 2021. Ovechkin was a pending free agent at the time of the 2021 NHL expansion draft, allowing the Capitals to leave him unprotected for the Seattle Kraken to select and to protect other players; the Kraken ultimately selected goaltender Vítek Vaněček as their pick from Washington. He scored his 28th career hat trick, tying Marcel Dionne and Bobby Hull for sixth most in NHL history, on 26 November against the Florida Panthers. On 31 December, Ovechkin scored his 275th power play goal against the Detroit Red Wings, breaking Dave Andreychuk 's all-time record. On 15 March 2022, Ovechkin scored his 767th career NHL goal in a 4–3 win over the New York Islanders, moving him into third place for goals scored all-time in the NHL, passing Jaromír Jágr; he achieved the feat in 477 fewer games than Jagr, yet had also taken 400 more shots on goal. On 20 April, in a 4–3 overtime loss against the Vegas Golden Knights, he scored his 50th goal of the season for the ninth time in his career, tying Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky for having the most 50-goal seasons in NHL history. At 36 years and 215 days of age, he is the oldest player to score 50 goals in a season; the previous oldest was Johnny Bucyk, doing so at the age of 35 years and 308 days. He ended the 2021–22 season with 50 goals, 40 assists and 90 points in 77 games played as the Capitals finished the season as the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference. Ovechkin would also record a goal and five assists for six points in all six playoff games in the Capitals first round loss in the 2022 playoffs by the Presidents' Trophy -winning Florida Panthers.
  
  On 5 November 2022, Ovechkin scored his 787th goal with the Washington Capitals against the Arizona Coyotes, setting a new NHL record for most goals with one team, a record previously held by Gordie Howe. He set another NHL best on 29 November, surpassing Gretzky for most road goals with 403, after scoring two goals against the Vancouver Canucks. Ovechkin became the third player in NHL history to score 800 regular season goals, behind Howe and Gretzky, by scoring a hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on 13 December. It was also his 29th hat trick in the NHL, giving him the sixth most hat tricks by any player in the league's history. On 23 December, Ovechkin scored his 801st and 802nd career goals in a 4–1 win against the Winnipeg Jets, passing Gordie Howe for the second most goals in NHL history, behind only Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin tied Mike Gartner for having the most 30-goal seasons upon recording a 30-goal season for the 17th time on 14 January 2023, in a 3–1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. He surpassed Gretzky to set a new NHL record for most 40-goal seasons after securing his 13th on 21 March, in a 7–6 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Capitals would miss the 2023 playoffs by 12 points in the standings mainly due to injuries to other players on the team, marking the first time since 2014 where the Capitals missed the playoffs. Despite the team difficulties, Ovechkin still continued his individual success by having ended the 2022–23 season with 42 goals, 33 assists and 75 points in 73 games played.
  
  On 7 December 2023, Ovechkin recorded his 1,500th point with an assist on a goal scored by Dylan Strome in a 5–4 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars to become the 16th player in NHL history to reach the mark. Ovechkin later scored his 57th career empty-net goal in a 3–0 Capitals win over the Boston Bruins on 10 February 2024, passing Wayne Gretzky for the most all-time. On 9 April, Ovechkin scored his 30th goal of the season on Detroit Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon for his 18th 30-goal campaign, passing Mike Gartner for most 30-goal seasons in NHL history. He finished the 2023–24 season with 31 goals, 34 assists and 65 points in 79 games played. Ovechkin and the Capitals narrowly got back into the playoffs as the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference, however, Ovechkin did not record a single goal or assist as the Capitals were swept in four games by the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers in the first round of the 2024 playoffs.
  
  On 15 October 2024, Ovechkin recorded his 700th career assist on a goal by Aliaksei Protas in a 4–2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, becoming the 60th player in NHL history to reach the mark. On 2 November, he became the fourth player in NHL history 39 years of age or older to record three points in consecutive games (a goal and two assists in a 6–3 win against the Montreal Canadiens on 31 October and a goal and two assists in a 7–2 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets on 2 November) after Tim Horton (1968–69), Gordie Howe (1968–69) and Jean Ratelle (1980–81). On 18 November, in a 6–2 win over the Utah Hockey Club, Ovechkin sustained a broken fibula as a result of a knee-on-knee collision with Utah forward Jack McBain, sidelining him for four-to-six weeks. At the time of this injury, Ovechkin had a league-leading 15 goals (including two goals earlier in the game against Utah prior to the injury) along with 10 assists for 25 points in the first 18 games of the 2024–25 season. After missing 16 games, Ovechkin returned to the Capitals lineup on 28 December in a 5–2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he would record an empty-net goal. On 11 January 2025, Ovechkin scored an empty-net goal in a 4–1 win over the Nashville Predators, making him the second player in NHL history to record 20 consecutive 20-goal seasons, after Gordie Howe. On 16 January, Ovechkin recorded the lone goal of the game in a 1–0 overtime win against the Ottawa Senators. This goal on Senators goaltender Leevi Meriläinen resulted in Ovechkin surpassing Jaromir Jagr for most goalies scored on in NHL history with 179 different goaltenders since the start of his NHL career in 2005. On 23 February, Ovechkin recorded his 32nd career hat trick in a 7–3 victory against the Edmonton Oilers, making him the first player in NHL history to score 200 or more goals in three different decades (245 goals in the 2000s, a league high 437 goals in the 2010s and 200 in the 2020s). Over a month later, on 4 April, Ovechkin scored his 893rd and 894th goals in a 5–3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, tying Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goals record. His 893rd goal also marked his 40th of the season, extending his own record for 40-goal seasons to 14 and becoming only the second player in NHL history, after Gordie Howe, to record a 40-goal season at age 39 or older. During the Capitals' next game two days later, on 6 April, against the New York Islanders, Ovechkin scored the Capitals' only goal in the second period of a 4–1 loss on a power play against goaltender Ilya Sorokin to become the all-time NHL leading goal scorer. Ovechkin's record-breaking 895th goal came in his 1,487th career game, the same number of games as Gretzky's career total. Ovechkin ended the season with 44 goals and 29 assists for 73 points in 65 games as the Capitals as a team finished as the top seed in the Eastern Conference and the Presidents' Trophy runner-up. His 44 goals ranked third in the league only behind the 45 goals by Toronto Maple Leafs' winger William Nylander and the league-leading 52 goals by Edmonton Oilers' centre Leon Draisaitl, respectively. Ovechkin was also named the Capitals' nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy as the player who shows the best qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game of hockey but was not named a top three finalist by the NHL. On 21 April in the first game of the first round of the 2025 playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens, Ovechkin recorded two goals (including the game-winner) on goaltender Sam Montembeault and an assist on a goal by Anthony Beauvillier. The game-winning goal was Ovechkin's first career playoff overtime goal to give the Capitals a 3–2 OT victory to give the Capitals a 1–0 lead in the series. Ovechkin and the Capitals would eventually defeat the eighth-seeded Canadiens in five games, marking the first time the Capitals won a playoff series of any kind since the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals. The Capitals, however, were upset in the second round in five games by the Carolina Hurricanes. Ovechkin ended the playoffs with five goals and an assist for six points in all 10 games. For his efforts in the season and his continued impact off the ice, Ovechkin was named the winner of the Mark Messier Leadership Award by Mark Messier himself as the most superior leader within their sport by setting a positive example through on-ice performance and as a contributing member of his community.