Czechia shocked Canada to round out opening-day action at the world juniors, beating the defending gold medalist 5-2.

The upset is Czechia's first win against Canada at the world juniors since 2013.

Shane Wright scored the opening goal for Canada, but David Spacek and David Moravec combined to tally two goals in 35 seconds to take a lead Czechia never surrendered.

Stanislav Svozil potted the eventual winner 44 seconds into the second frame.

Canadian Zach Dean received a controversial match penalty for making contact with Ales Cech's head during a hit. Jaroslav Chmelar and Matous Mensik scored on the ensuing five-minute power play to put the game out of reach.

Canada goaltender Benjamin Gaudreau was pulled after allowing five goals on 17 shots. His opposite number, Tomas Suchanek, made 36 saves in the victory.

Czechia faces Austria on Tuesday, while Canada will look to bounce back against Germany on Wednesday.

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The sports photographers at Getty Images snap action shots around the world. We illuminate 22 of our favorite images they captured this year.

San Francisco 49ers kicker Robbie Gould celebrates the last-second field goal he booted to bounce the Green Bay Packers from the playoffs.

France rugby union winger Gabin Villiere dives for a try while an Italian opponent despairs.

Chinese para alpine skier Liang Jingyi rams through a gate in the men's Super-G (standing) race at the Winter Paralympics in Beijing.

Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant absorbs a foul from Duncan Robinson of the Miami Heat.

UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards sets to shoot against NC State in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies won the Elite Eight matchup but lost to South Carolina in the final.

Professional golfer Abraham Ancer tosses his glove on the 10th tee at the Mexico Open.

Sloane Stephens plays a forehand return at the French Open.

Colorado Rockies infielder Ryan McMahon throws on the move to first base against the Atlanta Braves.

Finals MVP trophy in hand, Stephen Curry celebrates the Golden State Warriors clinching the NBA title in Boston.

UFC fighter Gloria de Paula strikes Maria Oliveira during their strawweight bout in Austin, Texas. Oliveira bounced back to win in a split decision.

Fresh off defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog hoists the Stanley Cup.

Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk warms up for a home game on Canada Day.

American sprinter Noah Lyles rejoices at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. Lyles won the men's 200m final in 19.31 seconds, the fourth-fastest time ever recorded.

Fans surround Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard amid the Tour de France's 18th stage. Vingegaard won the stage and went on to clinch his first yellow jacket as champion.

Triumphant England players storm the postgame press conference to revel in their victory in the Euro 2022 final. England beat Germany 2-1 in extra time.

English long jumper Abigail Irozuru takes flight at the Commonwealth Games.

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland scores a golazo to beat Borussia Dortmund - his former club - in the Champions League group stage.

Clemson defensive tackle Jabriel Robinson fires up the crowd before a home win over Louisiana Tech.

Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson celebrates the franchise's first WNBA championship. The Aces topped the Connecticut Sun in four games.

Houston Astros players douse manager Dusty Baker with beer following the club's victory in the ALDS. Houston wound up winning the World Series.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defenders lunge in vain as Los Angeles Rams receiver Allen Robinson makes a highlight-reel catch.

Uplifted by Argentina teammates and supporters, Lionel Messi raises the World Cup trophy in Qatar.

Click to see more of Getty's top photos from 2022.

Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The sports photographers at Getty Images snap action shots around the world. We illuminate 22 of our favorite images they captured this year.

San Francisco 49ers kicker Robbie Gould celebrates the last-second field goal he booted to bounce the Green Bay Packers from the playoffs.

France rugby union winger Gabin Villiere dives for a try while an Italian opponent despairs.

Chinese para alpine skier Liang Jingyi rams through a gate in the men's Super-G (standing) race at the Winter Paralympics in Beijing.

Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant absorbs a foul from Duncan Robinson of the Miami Heat.

UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards sets to shoot against NC State in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies won the Elite Eight matchup but lost to South Carolina in the final.

PGA TOUR golfer Abraham Ancer tosses his glove on the 10th tee at the Mexico Open.

Sloane Stephens plays a forehand return at the French Open.

Colorado Rockies infielder Ryan McMahon throws on the move to first base against the Atlanta Braves.

Finals MVP trophy in hand, Stephen Curry celebrates the Golden State Warriors clinching the NBA title in Boston.

UFC fighter Gloria de Paula strikes Maria Oliveira during their strawweight bout in Austin, Texas. Oliveira bounced back to win in a split decision.

Fresh off defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog hoists the Stanley Cup.

Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk warms up for a home game on Canada Day.

American sprinter Noah Lyles rejoices at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. Lyles won the men's 200m final in 19.31 seconds, the fourth-fastest time ever recorded.

Fans surround Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard amid the Tour de France's 18th stage. Vingegaard won the stage and went on to clinch his first yellow jacket as champion.

Triumphant England players storm the postgame press conference to revel in their victory in the Euro 2022 final. England beat Germany 2-1 in extra time.

English long jumper Abigail Irozuru takes flight at the Commonwealth Games.

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland scores a golazo to beat Borussia Dortmund - his former club - in the Champions League group stage.

Clemson defensive tackle Jabriel Robinson fires up the crowd before a home win over Louisiana Tech.

Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson celebrates the franchise's first WNBA championship. The Aces topped the Connecticut Sun in four games.

Houston Astros players douse manager Dusty Baker with beer following the club's victory in the ALDS. Houston wound up winning the World Series.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defenders lunge in vain as Los Angeles Rams receiver Allen Robinson makes a highlight-reel catch.

Uplifted by Argentina teammates and supporters, Lionel Messi raises the World Cup trophy in Qatar.

Click to see more of Getty's top photos from 2022.

Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The World Junior Championship is typically a tournament dominated by 19-year-olds. However, with the 2023 NHL Draft projected to be the best in years, ample draft-eligible talent will be on display at this winter's event.

Below, we rank the top 10 draft-eligible players competing at the world juniors.

1. Connor Bedard, Canada 🇨🇦

Position: C
Club team: Regina Pats (WHL)
Draft projection: 1st overall

Bedard is a no-brainer for the top spot, and whichever NHL team selects first overall in June's draft will likely feel the same. His production in the WHL has been off the charts.

The North Vancouver native has also shown up on the international stage, collecting 21 points in 11 games across two U18 tournaments, and eight points in seven contests in the summer world juniors.

Bedard is listed at just 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, but his speed, skill, and creativity make him a handful to defend. Look for him to take this tournament by storm, just as previous generational talents Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby did in their second time around.

2. Adam Fantilli, Canada 🇨🇦

Position: C
Club team: Michigan (NCAA)
Draft projection: Top 3

There's always a deep player pool to pick from, so the fact that Canada chose a second draft-eligible player and is expected to use him in a prominent top-six role should say a lot about Fantilli. He's a natural center but is projected to play left wing on the second line with Logan Stankoven and Dylan Guenther.

Fantilli has dominated in the NCAA this season against primarily older players, pacing the loaded Wolverines with 26 points in 16 games. Closing the gap on Bedard seems like a stretch, but he'll look to use this tournament to cement himself as the consensus second-best player in the draft.

3. Leo Carlsson, Sweden 🇸🇪

Position: C
Club team: Orebro HK (SHL)
Draft projection: Top 5

Carlsson has risen even further up draft boards with his impressive play this season, notching 14 points in 25 games against grown men in Sweden's top professional league. His combination of size (6-foot-3, 194 pounds), physicality, and smoothness make him a tantalizing talent. A strong showing could push him into the second-overall conversation.

4. Dalibor Dvorsky, Slovakia 🇸🇰

Position: C
Club team: AIK (Allsvenskan)
Draft projection: Top 10

Slovakia has only medaled once at this tournament since 2000 (bronze in 2015), but this could be its best team ever. While it would've been ideal for 2022 No. 1 pick Juraj Slafkovsky to be loaned, the Slovaks still have No. 2 pick Simon Nemec, No. 26 pick Filip Mesar, and several intriguing draft-eligible players, led by Dvorsky.

Dvorsky has registered eight points in 21 games in Sweden's second-best league. The power in his game at 6-foot-1, 201 pounds makes him a threat down low, but his shot is also good enough to score from range. A move to the wing could be in his future due to questions about his skating, but he's an exciting prospect.

5. Eduard Sale, Czechia 🇨🇿

Position: LW/RW
Club team: HC Kometa Brno (Czechia)
Draft projection: Early-to-mid 1st

Sale has struggled to produce much offense in Czechia's top professional league, recording just three goals and three assists in 26 games. However, he projects to be a well-rounded, top-six winger in the NHL. He's a strong skater with enticing offensive abilities and will gain strength when he adds weight to his 6-foot-1, 168-pound frame.

6. David Reinbacher, Austria 🇦🇹

Position: RD
Club team: EHC Kloten (NL)
Draft projection: Mid 1st

As loaded as the 2023 draft is, it's light on defense, leaving the door open for Reinbacher to solidify himself as the class' top blue-liner. He should be comfortable on this stage by now, as he represented Austria at the 2022 world juniors, collecting a pair of assists in four contests. He's also put up stellar numbers in the top Swiss league, producing 14 points in 28 games. Reinbacher is a great skater for his size (6-foot-2, 187 pounds) and will be counted on to play big minutes in all situations.

7. Samuel Honzek, Slovakia 🇸🇰

Position: C/LW
Club team: Vancouver Giants (WHL)
Draft projection: Mid 1st

Honzek chose to spend his draft year in North America, and it's looking like a smart move thus far, as he leads the Giants with 43 points in 31 contests. He's listed at 6-foot-3 and 181 pounds and moves exceptionally well for his size, making him an intriguing talent even though his offensive game still has some raw elements to it.

8. Charlie Stramel, United States 🇺🇸

Position: C/RW
Club team: Wisconsin (NCAA)
Draft projection: Mid-to-late 1st

Stramel wasn't given much of a chance to make an impact at the 2022 world juniors, appearing in just one game, but that experience alone should help him at the 2023 tournament where he's projected to center the fourth line. The Rosemount, Minnesota, native already possesses NHL size at 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds. He hasn't taken off at Wisconsin yet this year, totaling seven points in 18 games, but he could move up the United States' lineup as the tournament progresses if he starts strong.

9. Axel Sandin Pellikka, Sweden 🇸🇪

Position: RD
Club team: Skelleftea AIK (SHL)
Draft projection: Mid-late 1st

Sandin Pellikka is an offensive defenseman in the purest form. His size (5-foot-11, 181 pounds) will always be a question mark, but he's held his own in Sweden's top pro league this season, tallying five points in 14 games. Whether he can be dynamic enough offensively to make up for any defensive shortcomings remains to be seen, but the high-flying world juniors should be a great chance for him to showcase his skill set.

10. Gavin Brindley, United States 🇺🇸

Position: RW
Club team: Michigan (NCAA)
Draft projection: Late 1st

What Brindley lacks in size (5-foot-9, 157 pounds) he makes up for with passing, vision, and smarts. The 18-year-old has tallied a goal and nine assists in 20 games with Michigan this season. He doesn't project to play a huge role on a stacked American roster, but making the team as a draft-eligible player is an accomplishment on its own.

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One of the best things about the World Junior Championship is watching future NHL stars and top prospects test their skills on the international stage. Some surefire talents confirm their abilities, while other players' weaknesses are illuminated in the process.

A number of skaters who flashed their potential at the tournament in the last few years haven't taken long to become difference-makers at the NHL level. The league is loaded with young talent, and some of those burgeoning stars foreshadowed their future success with strong showings at the world juniors.

Here are five recent world junior standouts from no earlier than the 2019 tourney who've wasted little time cementing themselves as key players in the pros.

Trevor Zegras

Before Zegras was a viral play-producing Calder Trophy finalist with the Anaheim Ducks, the Bedford, New York-born forward was a fixture in the U.S. program. He collected nine assists in five games for the Americans at the 2020 world junior tournament, showing plenty of promise despite his country's sixth-place finish.

Zegras broke out in the next year's event, racking up seven goals and 11 assists in seven games. He also scored his side's second goal in a 2-0 victory over Canada in the gold-medal game. Anaheim's ninth overall pick in 2019 was snubbed by the tournament brass for best forward in 2021, but the media named him tournament MVP and one of the top three forwards.

The Ducks phenom showed flashes of skill and creativity in 24 games with Anaheim and 17 more with the team's AHL affiliate in 2020-21 before sticking in the NHL the following campaign. If not for Detroit Red Wings defenseman and 2021-22 Rookie of the Year Moritz Seider, Zegras would've cruised to the Calder with 23 goals and 38 assists over 75 contests.

The now-21-year-old is producing at around the same clip for the Ducks in 2022-23. Zegras should only improve in the years to come, but let's not forget that his play at the world juniors helped to establish him as a future star.

Tim Stutzle

Stutzle - the beneficiary of the Zegras snub in 2021 - had himself quite a tournament. He joined his American counterpart as one of the media's top three forwards, producing five goals and five assists in five games. The German center helped his country reach the quarterfinals by building on his five-assist performance over five contests at the 2020 event.

Stutzle has made a fairly smooth transition to the NHL since debuting for the Ottawa Senators in January 2021. The 2020 third overall pick finished ninth in Calder voting in 2020-21 after registering 29 points in 53 games. He took another step forward in 2021-22, tallying 22 goals and 36 assists across 79 contests, and he's been even better this season, notching nearly a point per game.

Stutzle, who'll turn 21 next month, stood out at the world juniors before becoming an instrumental piece of the Senators' promising, young core and a key building block for the franchise.

Spencer Knight

Knight has gone from being the future in the Florida Panthers' crease to very much the present this season. But before he arrived on the NHL scene, the talented goaltender played a major part in the United States' 2021 gold-medal victory.

The Connecticut-born netminder went 6-1-0 with three shutouts in that tourney, allowing only nine goals for a .940 save percentage. He would've surely been named goaltender of the tournament had Canada's Devon Levi not also gone 6-1-0 with a save percentage of .964.

Knight has blossomed into an above-average NHL puck-stopper since then. Most impressively, he's carved out a significant chunk of playing time despite competing for starts with Sergei Bobrovsky, who Florida handed a mammoth contract in the summer of 2019, less than two weeks after they drafted Knight 13th overall.

Pyotr Kochetkov

Kochetkov is one of the NHL's early breakout stars this season, but some may forget how well he played at the world juniors. The Carolina Hurricanes netminder went 4-1-0 with a .953 save percentage for Russia at the 2019 event. He helped his country claim bronze while surrendering only seven goals in total.

The IIHF brass named him goaltender of the tournament for his efforts, and the now-23-year-old continued his upward trajectory after that. Kochetkov further displayed his potential in the KHL and AHL before being forced into action for Carolina due to injuries to Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta during the playoffs last spring.

Kochetkov has taken another leap in 2022-23 amid yet another Andersen injury, providing stability in the crease and grabbing the Canes' No. 1 job in the process. His dominance at the world juniors provided a glimpse of what he'd accomplish years later in the pros.

Dylan Cozens

Cozens is in the midst of a breakout campaign of his own with the Buffalo Sabres. He's posting nearly a point per game and playing a big part in his club's surprising transformation into the NHL's best offense (yes, that still feels weird to write). But before he arrived on the scene at the highest level, the "Workhorse from Whitehorse" was one of the most productive Canadian players in world junior history.

The now-21-year-old racked up 10 goals and 15 assists over 14 games in his two world junior tournaments (2020 and 2021), including eight tallies and eight helpers over seven contests in the latter event.

Cozens helped Canada win gold in his first go-around and then served as a Canada co-captain in 2021 following Kirby Dach's injury. That squad settled for silver, but the media named Cozens one of the top three forwards along with Zegras and Stutzle. Cozens' international pedigree surely helped set him up for NHL success.

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Alex Ovechkin was about to be mobbed by teammates with a minute remaining in regulation Friday night, and all he could muster was a half-assed shoulder shrug. He'd just scored goal No. 802 into a vacant net.

Yes, 802 was anticlimactic for a larger-than-life man known for blasting one-timers and mortifying goalies for 18 seasons. But a goal's a goal, and Ovechkin's now second on the NHL's all-time goals list, surpassing the legendary Gordie Howe with that empty-netter against the Winnipeg Jets.

"Going to a bar right now. Hot dog, nachos, you know. Why not?" the always-colorful Ovechkin told reporters following the Capitals' memorable 4-1 victory.

Ovechkin, 37, now needs only 93 goals to break Wayne Gretzky's record - a revered goal-scoring standard many in the hockey world once believed would never be broken. The native of Moscow, Russia, is on pace to score 50 goals for the 10th time in his storied career. He's under contract with Washington for three seasons beyond this one, offering ample runway to reach 895 tallies.

Below is a breakdown of the five Ws - who, what, when, where, and why, though not in that order - pertaining to Ovi's prolific goal-scoring.

Why he's scored so many goals

Some goal-scorers are volume shooters. Others are sharpshooters.

Ovechkin is both.

He's accumulated a record 6,218 shots on goal during his NHL career, which is a mind-bending 2,398 clear of Eric Staal, who's second in shots since 2005-06. The difference between Ovechkin's and Staal's totals is roughly the same as the difference between Staal's and Viktor Arvidsson's, 230th on the list.

The NHL didn't start counting shot attempts until 2007-08. Unsurprisingly, nobody's even in the same universe as Ovechkin's 10,846. (No. 2 Brent Burns is at 7,406 attempts, or 3,440 behind Ovechkin, while No. 10 Evgeni Malkin trails by 5,443.) This unprecedented volume is attributable to his proactive approach. Ovechkin doesn't wait for an ideal shooting lane or angle. He funnels an average of nine pucks to the net a game and sees what happens.

Efficiency is the other separator. Ovechkin isn't the most efficient shooter in league history. Still, he's bagged 397 more goals than Phil Kessel - who's fourth in attempts since 2007-08 - partly because he converts on a higher percentage of his shots on goal. Ovechkin is a 12.9% shooter for his career, while Kessel, an elite sniper with 405 career goals, is a 10.8% shooter.

Ovechkin's generational shot is deceptive and quick off the stick and heavy and accurate in flight. He can outhustle, outsmart, or overpower the goalie or plainly pick a corner with some combination of hustle, smarts, and power.

For all of his gifts, Ovechkin doesn't surpass Howe or earn a career goals-per-game rate of 0.61 without help from playmakers. A total of 106 players have registered an assist on an Ovechkin goal, with longtime Capital teammates Nicklas Backstrom (278 assists), John Carlson (142), Evgeny Kuznetsov (104), Mike Green (70), and Marcus Johansson (57) leading the charge.

The best ability, as they say, is availability, and Ovechkin has a near-flawless attendance record in the NHL. Counting 2022-23, he's played every game in six different seasons and missed five or fewer contests in 10 of the other 12. All told, the self-proclaimed "Russian machine" who "never breaks" has missed 47 games in 18 years - including 27 due to injury and seven due to supplemental discipline for illegal hits, according to CapitalsOutsider.com.

On its own, Ovechkin's durability is commendable. After factoring in his involvement in on-ice collisions, it's nothing short of freakish. Ovechkin has delivered 3,379 hits in his career, and he's surely been on the receiving end of at least half as many. His ironman-like career can be partially chalked up to good injury luck. (How has he managed never to suffer a freak injury?) Yet, in another way, Ovechkin's had crappy luck thanks to two lockouts and a pandemic, which together removed 155 games he could have played in.

One last nugget on the logic-defying longevity: Ovechkin hasn't been on cruise control lately. It took him just 162 contests to jump from 700 to 800 goals, whereas Gretzky and Howe needed 231 and 256 games to do the same.

What types of goals he's scored

Ovechkin has never been a subtle hockey player. He's an assertive skater and body checker who turns on attack mode every time the puck enters his orbit.

Early-career Ovechkin was a heat-seeking missile who'd force his way into prime scoring areas, leaving lunging defenders in his wake. With his patented physicality toned down in recent years, late-career Ovechkin has devoted more energy to bombing pucks from his "office" inside the left faceoff circle.

In both scenarios, Ovechkin's an intimidating sniper relying largely on three types of shots - wrist, slap, and snap. Here's his shot selection since the NHL started tabulating shot types in 2009-10:

• 4,427 total shots (1st in the NHL by more than 1,000 over runner-up Patrick Kane)
• 2,026 wrist shots on goal (2nd)
• 1,104 slap shots (4th)
• 898 snap shots (1st)
• 245 backhand shots (23rd)
• 111 tipped shots (tied for 76th)
• 34 deflected shots (tied for 86th)
• 8 wraparound shots (tied for 378th)

(The breakdown doesn't cover Ovechkin's entire time in the NHL, but it's a sufficient sample capturing 986 of 1,310 regular-season games, or 75% of his career.)

And here's how many goals Ovechkin has scored with each shot type:

• 241 goals off wrist shots (2nd in NHL)
• 161 off slap shots (1st)
• 115 off snap shots (1st)
• 34 off backhands (tied for 21st)
• 24 off tips (tied for 55th)
• 8 off deflections (tied for 64th)
• 0 off wraparounds (tied for 401st)

The main takeaway here is goalies can probably be assured that No. 8 won't attempt a wraparound or crash the net for a tip or deflection, but he's perfected the standard shooting techniques. Ovechkin isn't a pure specialist like slap shot-obsessed Shea Weber or wrist shot-loving Vladimir Tarasenko, but he loves to grip it and rip it. And having not one or two but three deadly options is why he's been such a potent goal-scorer for nearly two decades.

As for which game situations Ovechkin tends to find success, well, he's first all-time in several categories, including power-play goals (292), game-opening goals (137), game-tying goals (140), go-ahead goals (271), and overtime goals (25). He also ranks second in game-winning goals (124), empty-net goals (54), and multi-goal games (163) and sits fourth in even-strength goals (505).

Ovechkin hasn't owned every possible game situation. He's been credited with only five shorthanded goals (though he's skated for just 193 total shorthanded minutes) and two penalty-shot goals (in a dozen opportunities).

Where he's scored his goals

When the Capitals erect a statue of Ovechkin (of course they will), he'll probably be frozen in celebration. As an exuberant celebrator and Stanley Cup champion, there are plenty of applicable moments to depict.

That said, a more appropriate (yet far less exciting) statue might portray Ovechkin waiting for a one-time pass on the power play, standing either straight-legged, like he often does, or mid-windup, like the photo below. This is what most fans see when they close their eyes and think of the Great Eight:

With the man advantage, Ovechkin has dined out from the left circle, his aforementioned "office." The opposition's inability over the years to minimize his one-timer is a testament to Ovechkin's shot. It also opens shooting threats elsewhere - for instance, Carlson from the point or T.J. Oshie in front - every time a penalty killer overcommits to covering Ovechkin.

Not unlike his peers, Ovechkin scores the bulk of his even-strength goals by firing pucks from the slot and crease areas. Heat maps and charts indicate his shot locations skew to the left side of the offensive zone, a byproduct of Ovechkin, a right-handed shot, lining up at left wing throughout his career.

Naturally, Washington tops the list of cities where Ovechkin has scored the most goals. Here's the rest of the top 10:

Who he's scored against, and when

Did you know Ovechkin's scored a record 409 goals on the road (but "only" 393 at home)?

Did you know the franchise Ovechkin scored his 801st and 802nd goals against - the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets - has allowed the most Ovechkin goals of all NHL franchises, with 52? The rest of the top five is filled with Eastern Conference teams - the Tampa Bay Lightning (50), Carolina Hurricanes (47), Philadelphia Flyers (45), and Florida Panthers (43).

Marc-Andre Fleury hasn't appeared in a single game for any of those clubs, but did you know he's allowed 25 Ovechkin goals, the most among the 166 netminders who've surrendered at least one? Others who have given up at least 15 are Henrik Lundqvist (24), Carey Price (22), Kari Lehtonen (22), Cam Ward (19), Ryan Miller (19), Ondrej Pavelec (18), and Sergei Bobrovsky (15).

Finally, did you know Ovechkin has scored 135 goals in the month of March, seven more than he's potted in November, the second-busiest month of the year? Or that Saturday (171 goals), Tuesday (141), and Thursday (135) are the days of the week in which Ovechkin has obliterated the competition?

One more: The Capitals rarely play Sunday, yet he has 80 Sunday goals.

Only 1,446 players in the 105-year history of the NHL have scored 80 goals. It's ultimately a random and trivial stat, but think about it for a moment - even Ovechkin's slowest, least-productive day of the week is prolific. Remarkable.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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Alex Ovechkin has sole possession of second place on the NHL's all-time goals list.

The Washington Capitals sniper scored goals No. 801 and 802 on Friday against the Winnipeg Jets, passing the legendary Gordie Howe.

First, Ovechkin beat David Rittich five-hole to score No. 801.

Then, Ovechkin found the empty net for No. 802.

Ovechkin hilariously described his exchange with Evgeny Kuznetsov on the milestone marker.

"I gave it to Kuzy, and he was like, 'I don't want to take it,'" Ovechkin said, according to Samantha Pell of The Washington Post.

Members of the Jets lined up to congratulate Ovi after the game.

Ovechkin said he was happy to accomplish the feat on home ice.

When the Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018, Ovechkin's ability to kick back and let loose was on full display, so it should come as no surprise how he plans to celebrate his big night. Also working in his favor is the fact that the Caps don't play again until Tuesday.

The Great Eight is now 92 goals back of tying Gretzky's all-time record.

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Friday's historic night for Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals wasn't entirely joyous, as defenseman John Carlson left the game after taking a slap shot to the side of the head and didn't return.

Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said postgame that Carlson was transported to a local hospital for a precautionary evaluation, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.

Carlson is an indispensable member of the Caps. He paces Washington's blue-liners with 21 points in 30 games and entered Friday leading the team in average time on ice (23:39).

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