Capitals are the top team in the East after getting Alex Ovechkin the NHL career goals record

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Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin holds a goat as he takes part in the GR8 city celebration to honor him for scoring 895 NHL hockey career goals, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates with goaltender Charlie Lindgren (79), defenseman Matt Roy (3) and right wing Ryan Leonard (9) after an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin takes part in the GR8 city celebration to honor him for scoring 895 NHL career goals, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals left wing Pierre-Luc Dubois celebrates after his goal during a shootout of an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin poses by a locker display at the GR8 city celebration to honor him for scoring 895 NHL hockey career goals, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals right wing Ryan Leonard (9) skates with the puck past Carolina Hurricanes center Seth Jarvis (24) during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin feeds a goat as he takes part in the GR8 city celebration to honor him for scoring 895 NHL hockey career goals, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Brian MacLellan, president of Washington Capitals hockey operations, left, poses with Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, right, after gifting him a gold stick as part of a ceremony to honor him for scoring 895 career NHL goals before an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) stands next to one of his gifts and Brian MacLellan, president of Capitals hockey operations, as he takes part in a ceremony to honor him for scoring 895 career NHL goals before an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin takes part in a ceremony to honor him for scoring 895 career NHL goals before an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) talks to his family as they take part in a ceremony to honor him for scoring 895 career NHL goals before an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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The Washington Capitals and others pose for a photo during a ceremony to honor Alex Ovechkin (8) for scoring 895 career NHL goals before an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) takes part in a ceremony to honor him for scoring 895 career NHL goals before an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, left, and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns, right, battle for the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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From left, Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie take part in the GR8 city celebration to honor Ovechkin for scoring 895 NHL career goals, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

By STEPHEN WHYNO

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Getting Alex Ovechkin the NHL goals record was a major motivator for the Washington Capitals over the past month. That came Sunday when he scored the 895th of his career.

The other aim was locking up the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the fast-approaching playoffs. They did that by beating Metropolitan Division rival Carolina on Thursday night.

That finishes off Washington’s regular-season checklist with four games to go, and with no real desire to win the Presidents’ Trophy. The Capitals earned that three times between 2010 and 2017 and lost in the first or second round each time before not doing so and hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2018, though home-ice advantage through the first three rounds was a valuable prize.

“Obviously, it’s been a great year,” said Dylan Strome, who leads the team in scoring with 77 points. “Lots of work left to do, though. Can’t be satisfied, but it’s a credit to us. I think we found a way to continue to battle throughout the whole year.”

Having a large cushion atop the East and the Metro allowed the Caps to focus on Ovechkin. They still have a shot at the Presidents’ Trophy given they don’t face a contending team the rest of the way.

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Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates after scoring his 895th career goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against New York Islanders in Elmont, N.Y., Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Alex Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record by scoring his 895th

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) gets back on defense as Seattle Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson (6) skates with the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

Ovechkin scores 886th career goal into an empty net to move 9 back of breaking Gretzky’s NHL record

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, left, shoots the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators, Monday, March 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Variety is the spice that has Alex Ovechkin fast approaching Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record

After being the first team to clinch a playoff spot, they also reached 50 wins. That’s 10 more than last season, when they eked in as the last team to qualify by winning their final game.

“Fifty wins in this league, winning the Eastern Conference in the regular season, that’s a huge achievement and that’s a lot of hard work and a lot of difficult games,” said Spencer Carbery, a front-runner to win the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year. “This league is relentless, and it is a grind and it is unforgiving at times, and our team has done an exceptional job all year long of staying in the moment.”

Washington had lost five of its past seven games going into the game against the Hurricanes, before which Ovechkin was honored for passing Gretzky. The 39-year-old longtime captain received a 6-foot sculpture and an engraved golden stick among other gifts, and young sons Sergei and Ilya got golden mini sticks.

“Great ceremony,” Ovechkin said. “It was a little emotional.”

Now, the Capitals turn their attention to making another long playoff run. They have not won a series since hoisting the Cup seven years ago.

“It’s always a dream, and it’s always a hard way and it’s a long way,” Ovechkin said. “We’re just gonna take it game by game. Four games left, and we just have to be ready for it.”

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl