Alex Ovechkin scores his 1,000th NHL goal, but Avalanche beat Capitals in OT after – Butler Eagle

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin passes the puck during the first period of Sunday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche in Washington. Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin scored his 1,000th career NHL goal combining the regular season and playoffs, but the league-leading Colorado Avalanche beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 in overtime Sunday.

Ovechkin’s goal, his 26th of the season, came from his traditional spot on the power play and tied the score with 5:43 left in regulation. He extended his career record to 923, nearly a year since passing Wayne Gretzky for the most in league history.

Gretzky has 1,016 NHL goals: 894 in the regular season and 122 in the playoffs, the latter being a record the “Great One” still holds.

U.S. Olympic gold medal winner Brock Nelson scored 82 seconds into 3-on-3 OT off a pass from Martin Necas, his 32nd goal of the season. Gabriel Landeskog and Nicolas Roy scored earlier for the Avalanche, who have won back-to-back games and on Friday became the first team this season to clinch a playoff spot.