ToHN Daily: Alex Ovechkin still scoring; three rookies score first goals

Alex Ovechkin is still scoring goals and the Washington Capitals buried the New York Rangers 5-1 in Wednesday night NHL action.

The Capitals sniper scored two goals and added two assists, not showing any ill effects from a lower-body injury that appeared to put his status for the opener in doubt.

Ovechkin now ranks fifth all-time with 732 goals. It might take some time but he has Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 goals in his sights. Ovi might already have The Great One beat for best commercial.

Coming off a down season, and being leaned on more with Nicklas Backstrom injured, Evgeny Kuznetsov contributed three assists for Washington.

T.J. Oshie added a goal and an assist. His assist came on rookie Hendrix Lapierre’s first NHL goal.

Lapierre was the 22^nd pick in the 2020 Draft and made such a great impression in training camp that he made the team and, given his Alex Ovechkin fandom, it’s a pretty cool story.

AROUND THE RINK

Toronto: The Maple Leafs are the most valuable NHL team, according to Sportico. They pegged the club’s value at $2 billion. The Arizona Coyotes, at $410 million, are at the bottom of the list.

Colorado: Nazem Kadri, Gabriel Landeskog and rookie defenseman Bowen Byram each had a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win against Chicago. It was Byram’s first NHL goal.

Vancouver: The Canucks rallied but ultimately lost 3-2 in a shootout at Edmonton. Nils Hoglander picked up a couple of assists for the Canucks. Connor McDavid had a couple of helpers for the Oilers.

Anaheim: Ducks rookie Mason McTavish, the third pick in the 2021 Draft, scored his first NHL goal and added an assist in his first NHL game, a 4-1 win for Anaheim vs. the Winnipeg Jets. Isac Lundestrom and Jakob Silfverberg both had a pair of assists for the Ducks.

N.Y. Islanders: Ryan Pulock signed an eight-year deal, as the Isles have locked up their top defense pair.

Boston: The Bruins are getting close to a massive contract extension with standout defenseman Charlie McAvoy.

Toronto: 5 Takeaways from the Leafs’ 2-1 win vs. Montreal (ToHN+)

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