"Recap of NHL Action: Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin Breaks Gretzky's Goal Record"

Despite Alexander Ovechkin scoring his 895th career goal, surpassing Wayne Gretzky as the all-time goals leader in NHL history, the New York Islanders defeated the Washington Capitals 4-1 on Sunday in Elmont, N.Y.

Marc Gatcomb achieved his first two-goal game while Bo Horvat and Jean-Gabriel Pageau also scored for the Islanders, who won their second consecutive game.

Goalie Ilya Sorokin saved 28 of 29 shots for New York, with the exception of Ovechkin's goal. The Islanders currently sit five points behind the Montreal Canadiens in the race for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

During the second period, with the Islanders' Casey Cizikas serving a tripping penalty, Ovechkin received a pass from longtime teammate Tom Wilson and scored a wrist shot from the faceoff circle, earning his record-breaking goal.

In other NHL action:

The Minnesota Wild defeated the Dallas Stars 3-2 in overtime in Saint Paul, Minn. Marco Rossi's power-play goal 58 seconds into overtime secured the win for the Wild, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Matthew Boldy and Marcus Foligno also scored for Minnesota, while Filip Gustavsson made 23 saves. Jason Robertson and defenseman Thomas Harley scored for the Stars, who have lost their last two games after a seven-game winning streak. Jake Oettinger made 38 saves in the loss.

The Detroit Red Wings beat the Florida Panthers 2-1 at home, handing the Panthers their fifth consecutive loss. Cam Talbot made 32 saves for the Red Wings, who have won three of their last four games and are currently six points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Alex DeBrincat and J.T. Compher scored for Detroit, who have won both of their regular-season meetings against the Panthers so far.

The Ottawa Senators shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-0 at home, with Linus Ullmark making 30 saves for his fourth shutout of the season. Nikolas Matinpalo, Adam Gaudette, David Perron, and Shane Pinto all scored for the Senators, who have won three consecutive games and lead the league with 10 shutouts. Daniil Tarasov allowed two goals in the first 4:26 before being replaced by Elvis Merzlikins, who made 22 saves for the Blue Jackets, who have lost their last three games.

The Chicago Blackhawks ended their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at home. Ilya Mikheyev scored two goals and Frank Nazar also scored for Chicago, while Spencer Knight made 28 saves. Rickard Rakell scored the lone goal for the Penguins on a power play with 5:24 remaining in the game. With this loss, the Penguins have been eliminated from playoff contention in the Eastern Conference.

The Buffalo Sabres rallied from an early two-goal deficit to defeat the Boston Bruins 6-3 at home. Tage Thompson achieved his eighth career hat trick, while Rasmus Dahlin and Jason Zucker also scored for the Sabres. Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie scored for the Bruins in the first period, but Buffalo scored four unanswered goals to secure their fourth consecutive victory.

The Montreal Canadiens strengthened their hold on the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot with a 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators on the road. Cole Caufield and Patrik Laine scored in the second period for the Canadiens, who have won their last five games. Steven Stamkos scored the lone goal for the Predators, who have lost their last six games. Montreal now has a six-point lead over the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings, with five games remaining in the regular season for the Canadiens and six for their pursuers.