Alex Ovechkin scored his fourth goal over the Capitals’ past five games and tied Gordie Howe atop an all-time NHL list in the process.
* Jesper Wallstedt went almost three hours of gametime without allowing a goal dating to Nov. 7, which marked the longest shutout sequence by a rookie goaltender in nearly 10 years.
* The NHL will hit the quarter mark of its 2025-26 season during a 12-game slate that features several stars in the heat of the Art Ross and Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy races, including the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Macklin Celebrini in a doubleheader on ESPN+ and Hulu.
Ovechkin ties Howe atop NHL list before Leonard logs first multi-goal game
Alex Ovechkin scored his 480th goal at Capital One Arena (regular season & playoffs) to tie Gordie Howe (480 at Detroit Olympia) for the highest combined total at a single venue in League history and Ryan Leonard logged his first career two-tally game as Washington defeated Edmonton.
* Ovechkin, who became the first player with a three-game goal streak at age 40 or older since Matt Cullen (3 GP from Dec. 3-8, 2016), continues THE GR8 CHASE for Victory Over Cancer with the Capitals, Hockey Fights Cancer and V Foundation by personally donating to pediatric cancer research for each regular-season tally he scores for the remainder of his career. Click here for details.
* Leonard became the first Washington player with a multi-goal game at age 20 or younger since Andre Burakovsky (Jan. 27, 2016). Leonard skated with the Capitals when Ovechkin completed The Gr8 Chase, was congratulated by Wayne Gretzky after scoring his first career goal and can be linked to another all-time great in major North American professional sports.
SHUTOUT SEQUENCE BY WILD’S Wallstedt FEATURED IN #NHLStats: LIVE UPDATES
Wednesday’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates featured more notes from the four-game slate, including Devin Cooley, Lukas Dostal and Jesper Wallstedt backstopping their teams to wins:
* Cooley stopped 28 of 30 shots and earned his first victory in a Flames sweater – as well as his first NHL win since April 11, 2024. Cooley’s .935 save percentage is the second highest among all goaltenders this season (min. 5 GP), trailing only Rangers netminder Jonathan Quick (.951).
* Dostal (10-5-1 in 16 GP) extended his home winning streak to six games, the longest by a Ducks goaltender in nearly a decade (Frederik Andersen: 8 GP in 2015-16), and became the fastest Anaheim netminder to record 10 wins in a season since Andersen in 2013-14 (12 GP). The Pacific Division-leading Ducks improved to 13-6-1 (27 points) and established their highest point total through the first 20 games of a campaign since 2014-15 (11-4-5, 27 points).
* Wallstedt’s shutout sequence was snapped at 175:12, the lengthiest by a rookie in franchise history and fourth longest by any Minnesota goaltender. He improved to 5-0-2 in seven games this season (2.20 GAA, .926 SV%, 2 SO) and became the second Wild netminder with points in each of his first seven appearances during a campaign, following Niklas Backstrom (6-0-1 in 7 GP from Oct. 11-27, 2008).
* Wallstedt was one of several Wild players who arrived at Grand Casino Arena sporting Minnesota Frost sweaters. The two-time reigning Walter Cup champions are set to play their PWHL season opener at the venue tomorrow.
QUICK CLICKS
* Adam Lowry signs 5-year, $25 million contract with Jets
* Jack Eichel, Quinton Byfield featured in new mental health campaign
* Connor Bedard continues torrid start for Blackhawks, has ‘totally earned’ leadership role
* Favorite moments through 1st quarter of season discussed by NHL.com staff
* Celebrate Women in Hockey with Capitals scout Maddie Bishop
THE GAME’S TOP SCORERS ON DISPLAY DURING ESPN+, HULU DOUBLEHEADER
The 2025-26 season will officially hit the quarter mark (328 GP) during a Thursday slate that will have the League’s top players on display in an ESPN+ and Hulu doubleheader. The two-pack features the Sharks welcoming the Kings after the Oilers visit the Lightning. The rest of the 12-game docket will also feature several other players ranking highly in scoring this season.
* Macklin Celebrini (19 years, 160 days) will square off against 38-year-old Anze Kopitar in what will be his final regular-season game in San Jose. Celebrini became the third player in 2025-26 to reach the 30-point mark after his hat trick Tuesday and is the only teenager within the top 25 scorers this season. The hat trick marked Celebrini’s 24th career multi-point game and built on his team lead in scoring.
* Leon Draisaitl (414), who’s tied for first in goals this season, can inch closer to surpassing Glenn Anderson (417) for third on Edmonton’s all-time goals list when he goes head-to-head with Nikita Kucherov, who moved into third on Tampa Bay’s all-time goals list in his last outing. Kucherov climbed his franchise’s record books in a game that saw Jake Guentzel score a hat trick and record his 100th career point with the team (52-48—100 in 99 GP). Guentzel will be skating in his 100th contest with Tampa Bay since joining the club last season – the only other Lightning player with 100-plus points through the 100-game mark is Brian Bradley (51-54—105).
SEVERAL OTHER STARS IN ACTION DURING 12-GAME SLATE
The rest of tonight’s 12-game slate has more stars that are engaged in a tight Art Ross Trophy race and Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race. Click here to read the #NHLStats Pack with more storylines and trends about the first quarter.
* Nathan MacKinnon (14-19—33 in 19 GP) will look to add to his League-leading totals when the Avalanche (13-1-5, 31 points) battle the Rangers (10-9-2, 22 points). MacKinnon is one of the NHL’s three 30-point scorers approaching the quarter mark (also Macklin Celebrini & Connor McDavid).
* Connor Bedard (13-16—29 in 19 GP), who ranks in the top four in the League in points this season, leads the Blackhawks (10-5-4, 24 points) into their contest against the Kraken (9-5-5, 23 points). Bedard (20 years, 126 days), who will be the youngest player in Chicago’s 99-season history with 29-plus points through 20 games, needs one assist to become the third-youngest active skater to 100 in their career behind Sidney Crosby (19 years, 134 days on Dec. 19, 2006) and McDavid (20 years, 85 days on April 8, 2017).
* William Nylander (9-18—27 in 17 GP) has found the score sheet in all but one game this season and will look to keep adding to his totals when the Maple Leafs (9-9-2, 20 points) host the Blue Jackets (10-8-2, 22 points). Nylander is tied with Dallas’ Mikko Rantanen (9-18—27 in 20 GP), who’s also in action tonight, for the highest point total by a non-Canadian so far in 2025-26 and has matched the best 17-game start by a Swedish player in 18 years.
* Brad Marchand (13-10—23 in 18 GP) leads the Panthers (10-8-1, 21 points) into battle against the Devils (13-5-1, 27 points). He is one of 13 players with at least a dozen goals in 2025-26 – only three campaigns in the past 35 years have had more at this stage of a season: 2006-07 (17), 2018-19 (14) and 2009-10 (14). The next quarter of the 2025-26 campaign is set to be a big one for Marchand and Florida as they host New York in the 2026 NHL Discover Winter Classic at loanDepot Park in Miami on Jan. 2. The NHL and Fanatics unveiled the uniforms to be worn by the Panthers and Rangers on Wednesday. Tickets can be purchased here.
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