Ovechkin scored in the Washington Capitals’ home game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night, beating Samuel Ersson with 5:35 left in the first period. The goal counter in the corner of the arena flipped to 888, and fans chanted “Ovi! Ovi!”

The Washington Capitals superstar continues to close in on Gretzky’s longstanding record of 894 career NHL goals.

In the second game of a five-game road trip, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (28-33-8) are in DC on Thursday evening to take on Spencer Carbery's Washington Capitals (45-15-8).

The Flyers know what’s coming. They know where he’s going to be. The left circle, power play, one-timer—that play is about as old as Matvei Michkov (who was often compared to Ovechkin in the leadup to his drafting in 2023), and yet, stopping it is another story entirely.

Pregame analysis and predictions of the Philadelphia Flyers vs. Washington Capitals NHL game to be played on March 20, 2025 on ESPN.