Alex Ovechkin became just the second player in NHL history to score 1,000 goals between the regular season and playoffs in the Washington Capitals‘ 3-2 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche at home Sunday.

It was Ovechkin’s 26th goal of 2025-26, his 21st season in the NHL. Wayne Gretzky was the first player to hit the 1,000-goal mark, having scored 1,016 combined goals: 894 in the regular season and 122 in the playoffs. Ovechkin passed Gretzky’s regular-season record last season and now has 923 goals for his career. Gretzky still holds the record for postseason goals with 122; Ovechkin is 12th on that list with 77 playoff goals.

“It’s always nice to reach something, and it was an important goal as well,” Ovechkin said after the game.

It was a classic Ovechkin goal, scored on the power play from his trademark “Ovi spot” in the circle, tying the score with 5:43 left in regulation. Incredibly, it was Ovechkin’s first power-play goal scored at home this season in 38 games.

“On the power play, in his office, huge goal to tie the game,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said.

Carbery said he was unaware of Ovechkin’s pursuit of 1,000 combined goals until a few weeks ago.

“There were a few instances where guys were passing to him in spots where I was like, ‘That seems odd. They had a pretty good chance there.’ And then, I come to find out that he’s going for his 1,000th goal,” the coach said. “Another accolade for him in his incredible career.”

Capitals center Connor McMichael said he grew up idolizing Ovechkin.

“I don’t take a day for granted playing with him. Every milestone that goes by, it seems like they just get cooler and cooler. So it’s definitely a privilege to share the same the ice sheet with him,” he said.

Ovechkin, 40, has 26 goals and 27 assists in 71 games this season. He’s in the last year of his contract with the Capitals, and his future in the NHL beyond this season remains uncertain.

Capitals general manager Chris Patrick recently said that Ovechkin’s decision possibly won’t be revealed until the offseason.

“He’s not going to rush to do it. He’s going to do it on his timeline, and if that ends up spilling into the offseason, I think he’s going to do the process the way he wants to do it, and we certainly are going to respect that,” Patrick said via Daily Faceoff.

The Avalanche won in overtime on a goal by Brock Nelson, his 32nd of the season. Colorado, the first team in the NHL to clinch a playoff spot, has the league’s best record at 46-13-10. Washington picked up a point to move within five points of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

“Right now for us, every game is a seventh game. Collect the points and don’t look at the standings,” Ovechkin said.