- Alex Ovechkin waved at Justin Holl’s third-period goal and tried to claim it
- Holl became the first Capitals defenseman to score in his first two games with the club
- Read below for what Holl, Thomas Hickey and Spencer Carbery said
Alex Ovechkin wanted credit for Justin Holl’s goal, and the Capitals defenseman was fine with letting him have it.
Holl scored the go-ahead goal in Washington’s 5-4 win over the Canadiens on Wednesday, a point shot through traffic that made it 4-3 at 12:29 of the third period. Ovechkin was parked in the right circle looking for a deflection and waved his stick at the puck as it went by. Replays showed the puck wobbling after it passed his stick, and the goal went to Holl.
Ovechkin was credited with the assist, his 760th, which leaves him two shy of Nicklas Backstrom’s franchise record of 762, per NHL.com’s recap.
Former Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey was stationed between the benches for the NHL on Prime telecast. He asked Ovechkin about it and shared the answer with analyst Jody Shelley.
“I asked, ‘Did you touch it?’ He said, ‘I don’t think so, but I’m not sure.’ And then he turned around and said, ‘I’ll take it,’” Hickey said. Shelley asked if Hickey told him he didn’t touch it. “Yeah, I was scared to say that,” Hickey said.
Watch the moment on Prime:
Holl was asked after the game whether it looked like Ovechkin was taking a little credit for the goal.
“Well, he did go through the (fist-bump) line first, so I’m not entirely sure if he thought he touched it,” Holl told Prime. “I don’t really know what happened. But if he wants, he can have it.”
Holl was also asked about it in the Capitals locker room and kept the joke going. “He’s the greatest goal-scorer of all time, so it would make sense,” he said.
Here’s Holl with the Capitals’ postgame video:
The goal was Holl’s second in as many games since the Capitals recalled him from Hershey. No Washington defenseman had ever scored in each of his first two games with the franchise, as Capitals PR pointed out:
“Oddly enough, it’s not,” Holl said when asked if scoring is a normal thing for him. “I guess when you’re hot you’re hot.”
Spencer Carbery had his own take in the locker room. “Guy’s going for the Rocket!” the Capitals coach joked during his postgame speech.
Ovechkin will have plenty more chances to score one of his own, and Holl probably won’t argue about the next one either.
