The Capitals fell, 3-2, to Colorado.
WASHINGTON — Another day, another milestone for Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin.
The 40-year-old, playing in his 21st season, scored the 1,000th goal of his NHL career combining regular season and playoffs in classic Ovi fashion, and while it helped force overtime and give the Capitals a point, it wasn't enough in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
Here are the takeaways from the loss:
Alex Ovechkin Sparks Power Play With Milestone Goal, Gets Capitals A Point
With time winding down in the third period and his team in need of a goal, Alex Ovechkin delivered in vintage fashion for his 1,000th.
Ovechkin got open in his office and rifled a one-timer past Mackenzie Blackwood, evening the score at 2 and giving No. 8 the milestone marker.
The Russian joins Wayne Gretzky (1,016 goals) as the only other player to hit the 1,000-goal mark when combining regular season and playoffs.
It was also the spark that the power play needed, as it had gone 0-for-4 earlier on in the game. The goal was Ovechkin's 26th of the season and his first power-play goal at home this year.
Cole Hutson also notched his first career NHL assist on Ovechkin's goal.
Miscues Lead To loss
While Ovechkin got the milestone tally, the Capitals fell prey to a handful of miscues that resulted in the loss.
To start the third period, after being up 1-0 on an early goal from Justin Sourdif, the Capitals made some costly mistakes that opened the door for Colorado and put the Avalanche in front.
First, Logan Thompson's pass from behind the net landed right on the tape of Martin Necas, who found Gabriel Landeskog for the easy tap-in to make things 1-1.
Minutes later, Cole Hutson failed to calm a bouncing puck in the slot, and Nicolas Roy swooped in, stole it and sniped it past Thompson to give Colorado a 2-1 edge.
While Ovechkin's goal forced overtime, Washington got pinned in its own zone during 3-on-3 overtime. There, Martin Necas found Brock Nelson for the OT winner.
Ethen Frank Leaves With Injury
Washington also lost Ethen Frank to a lower-body injury early in the first.
Frank was charging into the offensive zone and going after a puck when Devon Toews gave him a shove from behind, sending Frank hard into the net. The 29-year-old skated off under his own power in visible discomfort, went right to the dressing room and did not return.