Binnington is one of an NHL-record 182 different goalies Ovechkin has scored against. Buffalo’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen remembers becoming the 167th at Washington on Jan. 3, 2023.

“He just ripped one bar down off the face-off,” said Luukkonen, who has allowed four goals to Ovechkin in seven career meetings. “They won it back, and he just ripped it. And I was like, you know that’s kind of what makes it special, and you realize how much better he is at that than pretty much anybody else.”

Ovechkin continues to demonstrate that in his 20th NHL season, all with the Capitals. He leads Washington and is tied for sixth in the NHL with 37 goals in 57 games this season despite missing 16 games with a fractured left fibula from Nov. 21-Dec. 23.

“He’s been doing it for such a long period of time,” said Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen, who has given up nine goals to Ovechkin in 12 games. “He’s seemed to not really get hurt. It’s been a little bit of an issue this year, but other than that, he’s been a machine. I don’t know what they’re feeding him over in Russia, but he just keeps going.

“It’s pretty impressive to see. It’s a great thing for hockey to see that happening.”

Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has seen it for 20 seasons. Ovechkin’s 28 goals in 47 games against Fleury are his most goals and games versus against any goalie.

Yet, Fleury, who plans to retire after this season, wants to see him break the goal record, too.

“I always love and admire his love of the game,” said Fleury, who is second in NHL history with 573 wins. “His energy in the games, his enthusiasm. He’s so happy when he scores goals. He’s so enthusiastic when he scores goals. Like this season, right? You see how many times he scores. That’s how he was for many, many years always so happy and eager to score goal.

“That’s all he wanted to do.”

As much as goalies admire Ovechkin’s love of the game and his scoring skill, though, you can’t blame them for preferring that he’d score the record-breaking goal against someone else.

“I hope he breaks it, but not against me,” said Luukkonen, who backed up Reimer on Sunday. “(Trevor) Zegras and [Sonny Milano], they scored the flip goal against me, and I think I’ve been in highlights all over the world after that. So, I’m not looking forward to being in the highlights again.”

NHL.com independent correspondents Kurt Dusterberg, Heather Engel and Jessi Pierce contributed to this report.