Normally, a player or a team would not want to be part of history when it’s at their expense. But the Islanders are feeling pretty good despite the fact that Alex Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal on Sunday at UBS Arena breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL record.
But that was the only goal that the Capitals scored in the Islanders’ 4-1 win, a victory that keeps them alive in the race for an Eastern Conference playoff spot.
So, it was the best of both worlds. The Islanders were able to witness history on home ice and they picked up two big points.
“We won the game,” said Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin who will forever be linked to Ovechkin after giving up the historic power play goal at 7:26 of the second period. “That was most important (Sunday). He win. We win. Everybody win-win.”
The Islanders handled the situation with class and professionalism and that drew praise from “The Great One” who was on hand in Elmont and paid a visit to the Islanders locker room after the game.
“We got to meet (Gretzky) briefly after so that was cool as well,” said Islanders forward Marc Gatcomb who scored two goals in the game. “He acknowledged our sportsmanship throughout the game. Just a class-act guy.”
“(Gretzky’s) been such a great ambassador for this game for so long since he’s been done playing,” said Islanders Captain Anders Lee. “He’s got a ton of class and is extremely humble. That’s what our game is about.”
For Gatcomb, it was a really special day. He was a big part of the Islanders win in a game that featured one of the biggest moments in NHL history.
“When you put it into perspective how many goals that is in how many little games he’s done it, it’s insane,” said Gatcomb. “He’s the greatest goal scorer ever. My parents were here as well so it was cool to have them here and a couple of my friends. It’s special.”
When Ovechkin scored, it cut the Islanders lead to 2-1 so it was still very much a hockey game. After the lengthy stoppage for the ceremony to honor the NHL’s new goal king, it only took the Islanders 3 minutes to re-establish a two goal lead when Gatcomb scored his second of the game.
“We knew the task at hand,” said Lee. “We needed to win the hockey game.”
And it was mission accomplished for the Islanders who find themselves *** points behind the Canadiens for the 2nd Eastern Conference Wild Card spot. The Islanders have a big mountain to climb over their last six games, but their second straight win keeps them breathing in the playoff race.
“It was important for us to find a way to win that game,” said Islanders Head Coach Patrick Roy who also acknowledged the historical nature of the afternoon.
“It was a great moment for hockey. When Wayne retired, no one thought any of his records would be touched. Doing it in the same number of games is pretty impressive in today’s game.”
At the end of the day, all 17,250 fans in attendance, many of them Capitals fans, all came away with a smile on their face. There was history, especially for the Capitals fans, and the Islanders picked up a big win.