Bowl season: What you need to know about all 42 games
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ESPN staff
The most magical time of the year is finally here. It’s bowl season.
The 2022 season of bowls, featuring 43 games, kicks off Friday with Miami (Ohio) facing UAB in the Home Lenders Bahamas Bowl on Friday and lasts all the way to Jan. 9 when college football will claim a national champion at SoFi Stadium in the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
Our writers gathered together to break down every single bowl game ahead of all the action on the field.
College Football Playoff
Dec. 31
CFP semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia) | Tickets
Jalen Carter is finishing strong — and reminding everyone why scouts claimed he was the most talented player on last year’s star-studded Georgia defense. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive lineman was injured for most of the first half of the season. But he worked his way back and is making a case to be the first non-quarterback taken in next year’s draft. During the last five games, he has 23 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 14 quarterback hurries. — Alex Scarborough
CFP semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: Michigan Wolverines vs. TCU Horned Frogs
State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona) | Tickets
This year’s David-Goliath match up is TCU, from a 10,000-student private school that last won a national title in 1938, against Michigan, with 45,000 students and boasting one of the most storied programs in college football history. It’s Sonny Dykes in Year 1 with the Horned Frogs against Jim Harbaugh, the former Bo Schembechler quarterback who returned from the NFL to restore the Wolverines to glory. Can TCU withstand Michigan’s Big Ten strength? Can Michigan keep up with TCU’s Texas speed? The Horned Frogs will have a well-rested Heisman runner-up in Max Duggan, who took punishment all year, while Michigan’s Heisman contender, running back Blake Corum will miss the game with a knee injury. TCU’s quick-strike offense will face a major challenge against a Michigan D that allows just 13.4 points and 85.2 rushing yards per game. Cincinnati held strong against Alabama last year in the semifinal, but never threatened to win the game. Can this year’s Cinderella continue its improbable run and make history? — Dave Wilson
Bowls
Dec. 16
Hometown Lenders Bahamas Bowl: Miami (Ohio) Redhawks vs. UAB Blazers
Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium (Nassau, Bahamas)
Chase Brown, Blake Corum and Bijan Robinson deserve accolades for the seasons they put together, but how UAB’s DeWayne McBride didn’t make the cut as a Doak Walker Award finalist this season is puzzling. All he did was lead the FBS in rushing yards (1,713) — and he hit that mark in one fewer game than Brown, Corum and Robinson. Among the top 10 rushers this season, McBride’s 7.35 yards per rush was the best by nearly a yard. Against a Miami (Ohio) defense that gives up an average of 135.8 rushing yards per game, McBride should pad his totals. — Scarborough
Duluth Trading Cure Bowl: Troy Trojans vs. UTSA Roadrunners
Exploria Stadium (Orlando, Florida) | Tickets
Two programs on a heater collide in Orlando, each on a 10-game winning streak. UTSA has one of the nation’s most dynamic offenses. Frank Harris is sixth in the FBS with 3,865 passing yards and completing 71.1% of his throws, and WR Zakhari Franklin‘s 14 TDs rank third nationally. Troy, meanwhile, has the eighth-best scoring defense in the FBS, allowing just 17.5 points per game and 4.7 yards per play — ninth best in the country. — Wilson
Dec. 17
Wasabi Fenway Bowl: Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Louisville Cardinals
Fenway Park (Boston, Massachusetts) | Tickets
It’s the Scott Satterfield Bowl … without really being the Scott Satterfield Bowl. The now former Louisville head coach agreed to be Luke Fickell’s replacement at Cincinnati, where the team’s last game as a non-Big 12 member will be in the Fenway Bowl. Former Cardinals star and Super Bowl MVP with the New England Patriots Deion Branch will be coaching Louisville, while Kerry Coombs will lead Cincinnati. The game will likely be a low-scoring affair, featuring two of the nation’s best linebackers in Cincinnati’s Ivan Pace Jr. and Louisville’s Yasir Abdullah. — Harry Lyles Jr.
Cricket Celebration Bowl: Jackson State Tigers vs. NC Central Eagles
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia) | Tickets
Obviously Deion Sanders’ departure as Jackson State’s head coach is dominating the Celebration Bowl headlines, but there are a couple of other interesting storylines to follow here. First, you’ve got the QBs: JSU’s Shedeur Sanders and NCCU’s Davius Richard have combined for 5,889 passing yards, 60 touchdown passes and 18 rushing TDs and won their respective conferences’ offensive player of the year awards. Then you’ve got the redemption angle: JSU underachieved and got thumped by SC State in its only Celebration Bowl appearance (2021), and NCCU has had to wait six years for a chance to avenge a one-point heartbreaker to Grambling State in the 2016 game. — Bill Connelly
New Mexico Bowl: BYU Cougars vs. SMU Mustangs
University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico) | Tickets
BYU and SMU meet for the first time since the 1980 Holiday Bowl, known as the “Miracle Bowl” after BYU came back from 20 points down with four minutes left to win 46-45. Both teams are trying to recapture past glory, with BYU trying to build to its Big 12 entrance and SMU trying to win its first bowl game since 2012 as it continues piling up new players in the transfer portal. SMU QB Tanner Mordecai is just one touchdown pass shy of tying the school record (71) for his career but will be without receiver Rashee Rice (1,355 yards this year), who’ll sit out with an injured toe before heading to the NFL. BYU’s star QB Jaren Hall is also unlikely to play with an ankle injury after throwing 31 TD passes this year. — Dave Wilson
Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel: Fresno State Bulldogs vs. Washington State Cougars
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California) | Tickets
Wazzu hasn’t won a bowl game since 2018, and if there’s a player that will help them break that streak, it’s quarterback Cameron Ward. After transferring from Incarnate Word to Pullman last offseason, Ward totaled just over 3,000 passing yards and 23 touchdowns this season. It wasn’t quite the output the sophomore had at Incarnate Word, but the good news for the Cougars is Ward has at least one more year in Pullman. This game will likely be a battle of quarterbacks between Ward and Jake Haener, who is a great story and player in his own right and led the Bulldogs to another 9-4 season, including a Mountain West title. If Haener doesn’t opt out, prepare for a shootout. — Paolo Uggetti
LendingTree Bowl: Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs. Rice Owls
Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, Alabama) | Tickets
Frank Gore Jr. is making a name for himself while following in the footsteps of his famous father. Gore Jr., a sophomore, ended the year for Southern Miss (6-6) with a career-high 199 yards in a win over UL Monroe. He’ll be looking to build on that effort and head into the offseason on a high note as the Golden Eagles meet Rice (5-7). Southern Mississippi’s running game (122.6 YPG) will aim to move the ball against a Rice defense that allowed 166.8 rush yards per contest. — Blake Baumgartner
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: Oregon State Beavers vs. Florida Gators
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, Nevada) | Tickets
Oregon State is going for its first 10-win season since 2006 after a surprising season, one that earned coach Jonathan Smith a new six-year contract. While the Beavers should be close to full strength, the opposite is true for Florida, which will be without starting quarterback Anthony Richardson, All-American guard O’Cyrus Torrence and a host of other players who have either decided to opt out of the game or enter the transfer portal. Jack Miller III is expected to make his first career start for the Gators at quarterback after Jalen Kitna was dismissed from the team. Miller threw only 14 career passes at his previous stop, Ohio State. — Andrea Adelson
Frisco Bowl: Boise State Broncos vs. North Texas Mean Green
Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas) | Tickets
Boise State (9-4) is a win away from its first 10-win season since 2019. The Broncos’ offense (29.1 PPG) faces a North Texas (7-6) defense that gives up 460 yards a game, and junior running back George Holani (1,133 yards, 10 TDs) will look to exploit that. The Mean Green hired Washington State offensive coordinator Eric Morris as head coach on Dec. 13 following Seth Littrell’s dismissal after seven seasons. North Texas junior quarterback Austin Aune‘s (3,309 yards) 32 TDs were eighth in FBS, but he will be tasked with moving the ball against a tough Boise State pass defense (160.7) that’s ranked fourth best in the FBS. — Baumgartner
Dec. 19
Myrtle Beach Bowl: UConn Huskies vs. Marshall Thundering Herd
Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina) | Tickets
Jim Mora’s resurrection of UConn has been one of the season’s better stories — from 1-11 to bowl eligibility. It’s truly been a team effort in Storrs as they’ve found ways to win. The Huskies (6-6) haven’t been bowling since 2015 and last won a bowl game in 2009. They now face a Marshall team that beat Notre Dame in South Bend back in September. The Thundering Herd (8-4) bring a stingy defense (16.2 PPG) and a stout running back (senior Khalan Laborn; 1,423 yards, 16 TDs) to the party. — Baumgartner
Dec. 20
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: San Jose State Spartans vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles
Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho) | Tickets
San Jose State (7-4) prefers to move the ball through the air (263.9 YPG) more than on the ground (92.5 YPG). Whether the Spartans are successful in beating Eastern Michigan (8-4) may depend on the ability of senior Kairee Robinson (696 yards, 10 TDs) to find holes against a defense that surrenders 158.1 rush yards a game. Eagles senior running back Samson Evans (1,084 yards, 13 TDs) goes opposite a Spartan run defense (122.1 YPG) that’ll provide a stiff push. Eastern Michigan’s only previous bowl win came in 1987 against San Jose State (California Bowl). — Baumgartner
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl: Toledo Rockets vs. Liberty Flames
FAU Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida) | Tickets
It’s a much different Liberty team that will play in the Boca Raton Bowl than the one that beat BYU and Arkansas in back-to-back games in late October and early November. Gone is coach Hugh Freeze, who left Nov. 29 to take the Auburn job. As speculation swirled that he might be leaving, the Flames faltered down the stretch and lost their last three games, including a 49-14 beatdown at home to New Mexico State in the finale. Josh Aldridge will serve as interim coach for the Flames, who will go up against a Toledo team that won the MAC championship thanks to a strong running game (236 yards). Liberty struggled to stop the run in each of its last three losses. — Chris Low
Dec. 21
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs. South Alabama Jaguars
Caesars Superdome (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Tickets
He didn’t make the cut as one of the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year finalists, but South Alabama’s Kane Wommack certainly stood out during his second year on the job. The 35-year-old led the Jaguars to 10 regular-season wins — their most since South Alabama became an FBS program in 2012, and a far cry from 2019, when the team finished 2-10. A former defensive coordinator, Wommack has helped put together a defense that gave up the third fewest yards per game in the Sun Belt (304.5). — Scarborough
Dec. 22
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force Falcons vs. Baylor Bears
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas) | Tickets
These two haven’t met since 1977, and have just three times in history (Baylor has won all three). Air Force running back Brad Roberts is third among FBS running backs in total yards (1,612) and has 15 TDs. The Falcons led the FBS with 330 rushing yards per game, which will test Baylor, a team that ranked 44th and allowed 137.6 rushing yards per game. The Bears will also be replacing defensive coordinator Ron Roberts, who was dismissed after the regular season. Air Force is trying to complete its second straight 10-win season since 1997-98 while Baylor is seeking to avoid its second losing season in three years. Richard Reese has become a breakout star for the Bears, already rushing for a school freshman record 962 yards, and will force the Falcons defense to make plays. — Wilson
Dec. 23
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns vs. Houston Cougars
Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana) | Tickets
Michael Desormeaux’s first year replacing Billy Napier at Louisiana resulted in the school’s fifth consecutive bowl game, where it will be going up against a Houston team that was picked to win the American Athletic Conference in the preseason. The Cougars won five of their last seven games, with quarterback Clayton Tune having thrown for over 2,600 yards, 28 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in that span. He’ll be the player to watch in this one. — Lyles Jr.
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl: Missouri Tigers vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida) | Tickets
On paper, it’s difficult to find a more even matchup, but how much might end-of-season momentum matter in a bowl game? The answer will dictate the advantages in the land of Gasparilla Pirate Fest: Missouri won four of its last six games to rally to 6-6, while Wake Forest lost four of five to slump to 7-5. Mizzou quarterback Brady Cook averaged 238 passing yards and 105 rushing yards over his last three games as the Tigers’ offense found its footing, but Mizzou has been hit harder than Wake by early transfer portal entry, and QB Sam Hartman appears to be sticking around for at least one more game in a Demon Deacons uniform. — Connelly
Dec. 24
EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs. San Diego State Aztecs
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu, Hawai’i) | Tickets
There might not be a single 2022 bowl with a wider array of realistic potential outcomes than this one. Middle Tennessee blew out Miami but got blown out by a bad Louisiana Tech team. All of the Blue Raiders’ seven wins came by double digits, as did all of their five losses. SDSU still has one of the best defenses in the Group of Five and still has one of its worst offenses, too. The Aztecs have won four games by at least 16 and lost three by at least 18. Name the result — a 49-16 MTSU win? a 20-0 SDSU win? — and it could absolutely happen. What more could you possibly want to distract you from family festivities on Christmas Eve? — Connelly
Dec. 26
Quick Lane Bowl: Bowling Green Falcons vs. New Mexico State Aggies
Ford Field (Detroit, Michigan) | Tickets
New Mexico State (6-6) rebounded in its first year under Jerry Kill after combining to win just seven games in the last four years. The Aggies haven’t been to a bowl game since 2017. The running game may dictate things. Bowling Green (6-6) had trouble running it (100.8 YPG) and trouble stopping the run (163 YPG) this season. New Mexico State’s sophomore running backs, Star Thomas (477 yards, five TDs) and Jamoni Jones (368 yards, six TDs), have an opportunity to break out in the bowl game. — Baumgartner
Dec. 27
Camellia Bowl: Buffalo Bulls vs. Georgia Southern Eagles
Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama) | Tickets
Georgia Southern (former Buffalo) quarterback Kyle Vantrease is the player to watch in this game. Vantrease started 25 games for Buffalo over five years before ultimately making the move to Statesboro. In 2022, Vantrease completed over 61% of his passes for 3,895 yards, 25 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Clay Helton has helped him get the most out of his talent this season, and Vantrease will certainly be hoping to do his best against his former team. — Lyles Jr.
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: Utah State Aggies vs. Memphis Tigers
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas, Texas) | Tickets
It was a rollercoaster of a season for Memphis, who started off 4-1, before ultimately finishing the year 6-6. Seth Henigan didn’t take quite the leap the Tigers had hoped he would after a standout 2021 season, but it’s understandable given the weapons lost (like Calvin Austin III). Regardless, you should still expect to see flashes of greatness from Henigan, who has tons of potential. Utah State, on the other hand, started 1-3, and lost quarterback Logan Bonner for the season after their loss to UNLV. Since then, Cooper Legas has been running things at quarterback, where the Aggies have been 5-3 since. Expect to see some fight from two teams who had challenging seasons. — Lyles Jr.
TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl: East Carolina Pirates vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Protective Life Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama) | Tickets
This battle of the Carolinas features a pair of teams that overcame some tough losses to finish with winning records. East Carolina (7-5) had won four of five games, but lost 42-3 to Houston on the road in the next to last game of the regular season. Running back Keaton Mitchell is ECU’s go-to guy on offense and piled up 300 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns in the 49-46 win over Temple to close the regular season. Coastal Carolina will be led by interim coach Chad Staggs, who’s filling in for Jamey Chadwell, who left to take the Liberty head job. The Chanticleers (9-3) lost in the Sun Belt championship game to Troy after losing 47-7 to James Madison the week before. The health of Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall and his status will be key in this game. — Low
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Wisconsin Badgers
Chase Field (Phoenix, Arizona) | Tickets
The only thing certain for this matchup is uncertainty. Both teams’ veteran starting quarterbacks — Spencer Sanders at Oklahoma State and Graham Mertz at Wisconsin — have entered the transfer portal. The Badgers’ two backups, Chase Wolf and Myles Burkett, have attempted a combined 11 passes this season. True freshman Garret Rangel started two games for the Cowboys this season filling in for the injured Sanders, a four-year starter. New Badgers coach Luke Fickell said he will act as head coach for the game alongside six of the assistants who have been with the team this year. — Wilson
Dec. 28
Military Bowl Presented by Peraton: Duke Blue Devils vs. UCF Knights
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland) | Tickets
While UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee might be the more well-known dual-threat QB in this game, nobody should sleep on Duke quarterback Riley Leonard — a huge reason why the Blue Devils are in a bowl game for the first time since 2018. Leonard threw for 2,794 yards, 20 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, while adding 636 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. Plumlee was banged up for the last month of the season, so this game will be his opportunity to showcase his best — especially since he announced he will return for 2023. — Adelson
AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Kansas Jayhawks
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee) | Tickets
Two 6-6 teams, two teams that feel very differently about that record. For Kansas, this is a step on the climb, a chance to beat an SEC opponent for the first time since beating Vanderbilt in 1985 (of course, it hasn’t played an SEC member since 1988). For Arkansas, it marks the end of a disappointing season against one of the toughest schedules in the country, losing four of its six games by a total of nine points. The Hogs’ All-American linebacker, Drew Sanders, is not playing and Arkansas just lost defensive coordinator Barry Odom, who became the new head coach at UNLV. Star linebacker Bumper Pool is out with injury and leading receiver Jadon Haselwood is also bypassing the game after declaring for the draft. — Wilson
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl: Oregon Ducks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
Petco Park (San Diego, California) | Tickets
Both the Ducks and the Tar Heels had opportunities this season to emerge as fringe playoff contenders. Both got off to 8-1 starts before faltering late in the season and ending up here. It’s partly why the Holiday Bowl matchup between them feels fitting. The tone of this game will shift if quarterback Bo Nix decides to return to school for another season. Meanwhile, UNC has a rising Drake Maye on their side. Should Nix run it back for one more year, not only will this game look a lot different given that Oregon will have new offensive coordinator Will Stein, but the Ducks will be looking forward to building on the offensive foundation Nix and offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham (now the head coach at Arizona State) built this past season. — Uggetti
TaxAct Texas Bowl: Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Ole Miss Rebels
NRG Stadium (Houston, Texas) | Tickets
These two teams, both of whom finished 7-5, were going in opposite directions when the regular season concluded. Ole Miss was trying to navigate through a wave of coaching drama surrounding Lane Kiffin. Was he going to Auburn or was he staying? He wound up staying and signing a new contract that will pay him $9 million per year, but the Rebels lost four of their last five games. The Red Raiders, meanwhile, played their way into the postseason by winning their last three games, capped by a thrilling 51-48 win against Oklahoma in overtime. Texas Tech had a tough schedule and played six teams nationally ranked at the time of the game. One of the key matchups in this game will be sensational freshman Quinshon Judkins and that Ole Miss running game against a Texas Tech defense that finished 90th nationally against the run (166.4 yards per game). — Low
Dec. 29
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl: Syracuse Orange vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Yankee Stadium (New York, New York) | Tickets
This game is an enigma because neither team has been easy to predict all season. Few schools were as confounding in 2022 as Minnesota, which statistically speaking had one of the nation’s top defenses, a solid offense and a top-20 ranking in both ESPN’s FPI and SP+. On the field, however, that all added up to just an 8-4 record, and none of those eight wins came against an opponent who finished the regular season better than 6-6. Meanwhile, Syracuse opened the year 6-0 and nearly got a win at No. 7 Clemson before succumbing to the Tigers’ backup QB in the fourth quarter. After that, the Orange looked like a shell of a team, dropping five straight before a win over Boston College in the regular-season finale. Syracuse also lost both coordinators since the season ended. So, who exactly will show up here? The Minnesota that the deep-dive stats loved or the one that mustered just 10 points in a loss to Iowa? The Syracuse that started off the season 6-0 or the one that stumbled to the finish and then waved goodbye to two essential assistant coaches? It’s anyone’s guess. — David M. Hale
Cheez-It Bowl: Oklahoma Sooners vs. Florida State Seminoles
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) | Tickets
This has to qualify as a dream matchup for the Cheez-It Bowl organizers — two storied programs, with fan bases that love to travel. The excitement is on a different level for Florida State and understandably so. The Seminoles are in their first bowl game since 2019, and their fans from across the state can easily get to Orlando. With quarterback Jordan Travis already announcing he will be back for 2023, and All-ACC players Jammie Robinson and Jared Verse saying they will play in the bowl game, this is a game the team itself is geared up to play in, as they have a chance to win 10 games for the first time since 2016. — Adelson
Valero Alamo Bowl: Texas Longhorns vs. Washington Huskies
Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas) | Tickets
Outside the New Year Six bowls, the Alamo Bowl matchup between these two teams might be one of the best on the slate. The matchup between Quinn Ewers and Michael Penix Jr. alone will be worth the price of admission, and both programs will be looking to prove they are headed in the right direction. The Longhorns had their usual up-and-down campaign but ended on a two-game winning streak and a promising look ahead to next season. The Huskies, meanwhile, were turned around from a 4-8 team to a Pac-12 contender overnight by new head coach Kalen DeBoer and the addition of Penix Jr. Both teams should be intriguing heading into next season and it should make for an entertaining high-scoring affair in San Antonio. — Uggetti
Dec. 30
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: NC State Wolfpack vs. Maryland Terrapins
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina) | Tickets
Two former ACC rivals will get together with the winner getting a giant vat of mayonnaise dumped on them. What’s not to like here? NC State and Maryland have a long — and occasionally colorful — history but have not faced off since the Terrapins left the ACC for the Big Ten in 2014. Maryland struggled down the stretch this season, dropping three of its last four games. The Terps didn’t beat a bowl-eligible Big Ten team, but there remains a big question about how much gas is left in the tank for an NC State team beset by injuries in 2022. The Wolfpack had four different starting QBs win games this year, but lost two different starters to injury at the position and relied heavily on a defense that was among the ACC’s best. The matchup between Maryland’s talented QB, Taulia Tagovailoa, and a dominant NC State linebacking corps led by Drake Thomas should go a long way in determining who will finish the season with a win. — Hale
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: UCLA Bruins vs. Pitt Panthers
Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas) | Tickets
For the second straight year, Pitt will play its bowl game without its starting QB. Last year, Kenny Pickett opted out of the Peach Bowl to prepare for the NFL draft. This year, Kedon Slovis hit the transfer portal. Against Michigan State last season, Pickett’s loss — as well as backup Nick Patti in the fourth quarter — proved Pitt’s downfall, but this is a much different Panthers team. Rather than rely on their QB, the Panthers have routinely been a run-first offense, led by star tailback Israel Abanikanda, who finished with 1,431 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground. That should make for an interesting matchup against UCLA’s defense, which ranked second in the Pac-12 in yards per rush allowed this season, but gave up 565 yards and seven TDs on the ground in its three losses. — Hale
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville, Florida) | Tickets
South Carolina’s Shane Beamer did one of the best coaching jobs in college football this season. The Gamecocks (8-4) suffered some serious beatdowns (48-7 to Georgia and 38-6 to Florida), but got back up off the ground to finish the season with back-to-back wins over top-10 teams Tennessee and Clemson. Notre Dame, in its first season under Marcus Freeman, also finished 8-4. But much like the Gamecocks, the Irish played their best football down the stretch. Their only loss in their last six games was on the road to USC to close the regular season. Both teams will be without talented players. South Carolina tight end/running back Jaheim Bell entered the transfer portal. Notre Dame All-America tight end Michael Mayer and linebacker and career sacks leader Isaiah Foskey opted out to prepare for the NFL draft. — Low
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl: Ohio Bobcats vs. Wyoming Cowboys
Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Arizona) | Tickets
Both the Bobcats and Cowboys stumbled late in the regular season — Ohio lost star quarterback Kurtis Rourke to injury, then lost the MAC championship to Toledo; Wyoming won four straight to move to 7-3 but lost a shot at a division title with a home loss to Boise State, then got thumped by Fresno State. This is definitely a “Who wants it more?” bowl, but the matchup of Ohio’s run game against Wyoming’s run defense could still be a delight, and both of these teams tend to deliver in the postseason: They’re both riding three-game bowl win streaks. — Connelly
Capital One Orange Bowl: Clemson Tigers vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida) | Tickets
The ultimate battle of orange should undoubtedly take place in the Orange Bowl. This will also be a battle of quarterbacks who didn’t open the 2022 season as the starter. True freshman Cade Klubnik will make his first career start for Clemson. He came off the bench to replace DJ Uiagalelei in the season-ending loss to South Carolina. Uiagalelei then announced he was entering the transfer portal. Joe Milton III will be the starter for Tennessee after Hendon Hooker, the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Year, suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the loss to South Carolina. Milton, who has an incredibly strong arm, started in the regular-season finale against Vanderbilt. He also started the first two games of the 2021 season before being replaced by Hooker. The ACC champion Tigers are trying to win 12 games or more for the sixth time in the last eight seasons. The Vols are trying to win 11 games for the first time since 2001. — Low
Dec. 31
TransPerfect Music City Bowl: Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Kentucky Wildcats
Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee) | Tickets
Who gets a chance to play quarterback for Iowa before former Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara comes in next year? Fifth-year senior Spencer Petras‘ shoulder injury and junior Alex Padilla entering the transfer portal has the Hawkeyes (7-5) scrambling. Iowa’s defense (277.9 YPG, 14.4 PPG), led by senior linebacker Jack Campbell (115 tackles, two interceptions), will go up against a Wildcats’ offense (336.3 YPG, 22.1 PPG) that ranked last in the SEC and will be without senior quarterback Will Levis. Kentucky (7-5) has a defense that isn’t a slouch either as it ranked second in the SEC in passing (173.4) and points (19.1). — Baumgartner
Allstate Sugar Bowl: Kansas State Wildcats vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Caesars Superdome (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Tickets
Will the Wildcats mix it up with a two-quarterback system against Alabama? Will Howard will be the starter, that much seems sure. Ever since he came in for an injured Adrian Martinez against Baylor, he’s been terrific. Kansas State is 4-0 and won a Big 12 championship as Howard threw a combined nine touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for two scores during that time. But Martinez is healthy enough that he nearly appeared in the Big 12 title game. With an extended layoff, he could be called upon as a change-of-pace back against a tough Alabama defense. — Scarborough
Jan. 2
ReliaQuest Bowl: Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida) | Tickets
Illinois junior running back Chase Brown (1,643 yards, 10 TDs) needs 54 yards to eclipse Mikel Leshoure’s single-season school record. The Fighting Illini (8-4) have been a force on defense (12.3 PPG) all year but will have to deal with Mississippi State’s potent offense that averaged 314.3 passing yards per game. Junior quarterback Will Rogers (3,713 yards, 34 TDs) had a great year for the Bulldogs (8-4) but will need to find a way to solve the fifth-best pass defense (165.4 YPG) in FBS. — Baumgartner
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: LSU Tigers vs. Purdue Boilermakers
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) | Tickets
Nine wins is already more than many LSU fans could have hoped for, especially after a sloppy loss to Florida State in the season-opener. Brian Kelly was able to turn things around, beat Alabama and get all the way to the SEC championship in his first season in Baton Rouge. But after an inexplicable loss at Texas A&M to end the regular season and a 20-point loss to Georgia in the SEC title game, LSU needs to get a bad taste out of its mouth. The Tigers also need quarterback Jayden Daniels to get healthy again, the passing game to make strides and the defense to bounce back — in particular the front seven vs. the run — to feel better about the team’s chances heading into next season. It needs a win. — Scarborough
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: USC Trojans vs. Tulane Green Wave
AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) | Tickets
All eyes may still be on Heisman winner Caleb Williams once the Trojans suit up to play the Cotton Bowl, but the player to watch may be running back Raleek Brown. A five-star prospect who had flashes of serious speed and agility this season in limited carries could be fully deployed in this game. A lot will likely change on USC’s roster between now and next season, but Brown’s role will only grow. The Green Wave won’t make it easy for Lincoln Riley and Co., though. Tulane will be hoping to close out their storybook 11-2 season with a statement win over a program that, as Tulane athletic director Troy Dannen pointed out last week in Las Vegas, has “no business going up against financially.” On the field come Jan. 2, the two will be able to face off as equals. — Uggetti
Rose Bowl Game: Utah Utes vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California) | Tickets
Utah made a resounding statement with its rout of USC for the Pac-12 title. Back in the Rose Bowl for a second straight year, the Utes (10-3) have unfinished business after losing to Ohio State. Junior quarterback Cam Rising (2,939 yards, 25 TDs) leads Utah’s offense against a Penn State defense (317.9 YPG) that was seventh in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions (10-2) only lost to Michigan and Ohio State. Their revived running game behind freshmen Nicholas Singleton (941 yards, 10 TDs) and Kaytron Allen (830 yards, nine TDs) tangles with the Pac-12’s best run defense (107 YPG). — Baumgartner
The Capitals improved by 11 points in the standings in Ovechkin’s rookie season. He helped, but he couldn’t do it alone.
In 2008, Alex Ovechkin found himself onstage at a club in Falls Church, Virginia, pretending to play guitar and pumping his fist to the crowd of Capitals fans who were instructed to keep the energy up during filming.
This music video would be a perfect time capsule for the “Rock The Red” movement in Washington — in which the home stands would be a sea of red jerseys and shirts — and not just because Ovechkin’s rock star status went from figurative to literal. The Caps won the Southeast Division in 2007-08, returning to the playoffs after a three-season drought. Under head coach Bruce Boudreau, who took over after 21 games, they played an electric offensive game that catered to Ovechkin’s skills and created a renewed fan buzz.
On stage with Ovechkin were fellow members of “The Young Guns,” as the players would be known. Center Nicklas Backstrom would become a driving force behind Ovechkin’s goal-scoring domination. His biggest takeaway from playing alongside Ovechkin: “Probably explaining to him that he wasn’t always open, but he wanted the puck all the time anyway,” Backstrom said recently with a laugh.
Defenseman Mike Green, who was in the video, would pilot their power play and become a two-time Norris Trophy runner-up. Winger Alex Semin, Ovechkin’s young countryman, would become a 40-goal scorer. Beyond them were Brooks Laich, an essential “glue guy,” and, eventually, standout defensemen John Carlson and Karl Alzner.
But the music video was also demonstrative of the Capitals’ swagger, something else Ovechkin brought to the franchise. Washington lost in seven games to the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs, but it was clear they were pointed toward greater success. Something Sidney Crosby’s Penguins had already achieved.
After losing Rookie of the Year to Ovechkin, Crosby won his first NHL MVP trophy as a 19-year-old in 2006-07. By 2008, he was playing for the Stanley Cup, losing in the Final to Detroit. Like Ovechkin, he had some new friends, too: Malkin, Kris Letang, Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Staal.
Ovechkin did Crosby one better between 2007-09: He became the first skater to win back-to-back Hart Trophies since Wayne Gretzky in 1985-87. (Goalie Dominik Hasek won consecutive MVPs from 1996-98). It was clear he was a franchise player, and Leonsis gave him a contract commensurate with that status: In 2008, Ovechkin signed a 13-year, $124 million deal he negotiated himself. The first $100 million contract in NHL history, it had its critics at the time, although they’d fall silent years later when his $9 million cap hit was re-contextualized as a bargain as the salary cap rose.
In 2008-09, Ovechkin scored 56 goals in the regular season to lead Washington to another division title and then had seven points in seven games to win his first playoff series over the New York Rangers — setting up the first meeting between Crosby and Ovechkin in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Game 2 of that series would provide one of the defining moments of their rivalry: The “Double Hat Trick” game in Washington, as both Crosby and Ovechkin completed hat tricks in the Capitals’ 4-3 win. Fans threw so many hats on the ice after Ovechkin’s third goal that Crosby asked if the officials “could make an announcement to ask them to stop.”
Ovechkin (14 points) outscored Crosby (13) in that series, but the Penguins outlasted the Capitals in seven games — advancing to win the Stanley Cup, which would become a recurring theme in their rivalry. Ovechkin had a chance to turn Game 7 in Washington’s favor with a breakaway in the first three minutes of the first period but was robbed by Fleury.
It was a missed opportunity. The Capitals would miss more of them to a much greater degree in the next few seasons.
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The importance of the double hat-trick game between Crosby and Ovechkin
“The Drop” discuss Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin’s first playoff meeting and the importance of their double hat-trick game.
The Crisis Era (2009-14)
Goals scored: 203
Ovechkin was given the Capitals’ captaincy in Jan. 2010 after Chris Clark was traded to Columbus. He scored another 50 goals in 2009-10 and was driving a team that had pushed deeper into the playoffs than it had in any season since 1998. Washington finished that campaign with a .738 points percentage and captured their first Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history — along with all the supernatural misfortune associated with being the league’s best regular-season team.
The Capitals faced the Montreal Canadiens, who ranked 16th out of 16 playoff teams in regular-season success. After dropping the opening game in overtime, Washington won three straight games. Then it happened: a combination of Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak with the Capitals’ sputtering offense and unmistakable jitters led the Canadiens to win the series in seven games. The Washington offensive machine was limited to one goal in each of the final three losses. Ovechkin didn’t have a goal in the final two.
This wasn’t just playoff disappointment for Ovechkin’s Capitals, but postseason regression. It sparked the first wave of conversations about Washington as a playoff underachiever and whether the Caps’ regular-season offensive wizardry could ever translate to Stanley Cup success. Despite respectable postseason numbers, Ovechkin wasn’t immune to that criticism either.
Things briefly looked up in 2010-11. The Capitals won their division for the fourth straight time and then beat the Rangers in five games in the opening round, where Ovechkin had six points. He had four points in four games in the next round, but playoff embarrassment was getting old for the “Young Guns”: The Tampa Bay Lightning swept the Caps out of the playoffs.
Skepticism about Washington being able to get over the hump due to their style of play had morphed into a full-on crisis of faith. They slumped after a hot start in 2011-12, with Ovechkin going through a stretch of one goal in eight games. Boudreau paid for that slump with his job, as Washington fired him in Nov. 2011 after 22 games (12-9-1). Ovechkin’s relationship with his former coach was scrutinized. Some labeled the Capitals star a “coach killer” in the wake of the popular Boudreau’s dismissal.
“It is complete nonsense that I would get Bruce fired,” Ovechkin said to Yahoo! Sports in 2011. “How is it on me? How can I, a player, get a coach fired? How can I quit playing for the coach who gave me so much in my career?”
The Capitals hired Dale Hunter, a franchise icon who had been a head coach in Canadian junior hockey, to replace Boudreau, with the explicit mandate to get Ovechkin and his teammates to defend to a championship standard. In other words: fewer pretty passes, more blocked shots.
Ovechkin saw his ice time drop to under 20 minutes per game for the first time. He called the season “a hard year, mentally” and his stats reflected that: Ovechkin had 65 points, a career low, although his goal-scoring rose from 32 to 38 year over year.
The Capitals defeated the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round that season and then were eliminated by the Rangers in seven games in the second round. Ovechkin had four points against New York.
Hunter left the Capitals after the season to return to juniors. The Capitals hired New Jersey Devils assistant coach Adam Oates to take over. While Ovechkin led the league in goals in both of Oates’ seasons in Washington, the Capitals’ postseason misfortunes continued: losing to the Rangers in the first round in 2013, after a lockout-shortened season in which Ovechkin won his third MVP; and then missing the playoffs in 2013-14 for the first time since 2006-07, and only the third time in Ovechkin’s career, which led to both Oates and GM McPhee being fired.
Ovechkin was now the lightning rod for criticism about the Capitals’ lack of playoff success and diminishing returns. The criticism was carried to extremes, like when The Hockey News published an article in May 2014 titled “Alex Ovechkin to KHL would be a blessing in disguise for Capitals.”
All of it left Ovechkin baffled and frustrated. He actually clarified after the season that he was still having fun and wasn’t going to ask for a trade.
“If you remember when Hunter was here and I didn’t score goals, you guys said, ‘Why don’t you score goals?’ I said, ‘My job [is] to block shots’. The whole world says, ‘Ovi stop playing what he used to play, he’s gone. We [are] never going to see him again,'” he said after the 2013-14 season. “I don’t want to turn my back on this kind of position again. I get paid to score goals. I scored 50.”
Ovechkin scored 203 goals in this era. That was seven fewer in this span than Steven Stamkos, the new goal-scoring marvel in the NHL. But while Ovechkin had his struggles, he was still piling on the goals to his career total.
In 2010, ESPN’s John Buccigross was among the first to publicly suggest that Ovechkin might break Gretzky’s goals record. “This will take a lot of health, a lot of hockey love and a lot of luck. But it’s not far-fetched.”
The Frustration Era (2014-17)
Goals scored: 136
General manager Brian MacLellan hired former Nashville Predators coach Barry Trotz to take over the Capitals for 2014-15. Other new faces had joined Washington in recent seasons, too, augmenting the core around Ovechkin: forwards Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson, defensemen Brooks Orpik and Dmitry Orlov and goaltender Braden Holtby. Soon, T.J. Oshie would arrive from the St. Louis Blues.
Trotz would have a critical relationship with Ovechkin, whose goal total rose back to 51 in Oates’ last season in Washington. Trotz was aware of Ovechkin’s reputation as a “coach killer” and accusations of selfish play. From their first meeting, Trotz got to know a player who liked being challenged and was summarily obsessed with winning the Stanley Cup.
MacLellan and Trotz agreed that surrounding Ovechkin with enough talent to ease his burden was the best move. Sometimes, that led to overcorrections — like when Ovechkin’s ice time dropped to 18:22 per game and his goals dropped to 33 in the 2016-17 season. But Trotz insisted it was to serve the ultimate goal.
Trotz got Ovechkin back to the playoffs in 2014-15, winning in seven against the New York Islanders before losing again to the Rangers in seven games. They were sixth in the NHL in offense and seventh in defense, after being 13th and 21st under Oates.
This started a run of three straight postseasons in which the Capitals had their run end in the second round. The next two instances had a common theme: Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.
Ovechkin’s archrival had two assists in the Penguins’ six-game victory over the Capitals in 2016, a series where Ovechkin had seven points to lead the Capitals. Five of the six games were determined by one goal. Like they did in 2009, the Penguins vaulted over the Capitals and eventually won the Stanley Cup against San Jose.
The same thing would happen in 2017. The Capitals eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games to earn a rematch with Pittsburgh. This time, Crosby had seven points in six games and Fleury shut out the Capitals in Game 7 to eliminate Washington. Two rounds later, Crosby was hoisting the Cup after defeating Nashville.
Three Cup wins for Sid The Kid, each time at the expense of Ovechkin.
He was a nonfactor for much of it. Ovechkin criticized his own performance in Game 4. Trotz shifted his superstar winger to the third line against Pittsburgh in Game 5. In Games 6 and 7, Ovechkin didn’t register a point and was a minus-2 in the series finale.
As one veteran coach told ESPN at the time: “He just doesn’t have that body language that says, ‘I’m taking over.’ Normally, he’s like an assassin.”
The Capitals’ defeat in 2017 earned Washington the moniker of “saddest sports town” from the New York Times: “The issue is no longer whether the Capitals will ever win the Stanley Cup with Ovechkin and the immensely talented core around him. It’s whether this group can ever get past the playoffs’ second round.”
The Stanley Cup Era (2017-18)
Goals scored: 49
Alex Ovechkin was on stage again in front of Capitals fans. It was June 2018. His long beard hung over red party beads around his neck. On his head was something only previously attainable through photoshop edits: a hat with a Capitals logo and the words “Stanley Cup Champs.”
Ovechkin was giving a victory speech to a packed National Mall. “We’re not going to f—ing suck this year!” he bellowed. “We’re STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS. Yeaaaaaaaaah!”
All of those playoff disappointments. All of those harsh lessons learned. All of that criticism Ovechkin shouldered for his team, whether it was personally warranted or not. As he lifted and kissed the Stanley Cup — with his Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP beside him — the burdens he carried as a franchise savior and NHL superstar were lifted, too.
This is what catharsis looks like.
By this time, it was clear Ovechkin had a career that likely would put him in the Hall of Fame, with a goal total that was going to end up among the highest ever. Winning the Stanley Cup meant that there would be no caveats, no “but he never won a championship” detractions when it came to his hockey immortality.
The postseason was its own Eras Tour for Ovechkin’s Capitals. They defeated Columbus in the first round, coached by their old Rangers rival John Tortorella. Then came the third straight meeting with Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. After losing Game 1, the Capitals rallied to take a 3-2 series lead. Ovechkin, who had seven points in the series, had the primary assist on Kuznetsov’s overtime goal in Game 6 that eliminated Pittsburgh and put Ovi in a conference championship round for the first time.
With those demons from Pittsburgh exorcised, the Capitals defeated another postseason tormentor in the Lightning in seven games, shutting them out in Games 6 and 7. (Somewhere, Dale Hunter smiles at defense winning championships.)
The Final Boss was Vegas, as the Golden Knights shocked the NHL by advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season. That team’s architect? GM George McPhee, who drafted Ovechkin and surrounded him with the “Young Guns.” Their starting goalie? Marc-Andre Fleury, who had previously made Ovechkin’s postseason life miserable.
Washington won the Stanley Cup in five games. Ovechkin had five points in the series, including a goal in the clincher. He was finally a champion. Ovechkin ended the postseason with 15 goals in 24 games and won the Conn Smythe.
The Capitals did not, in fact, suck that year.
Elder Statesman Era (2018-23)
Goals scored: 215
This era is the greatest tribute to the transformative effect that winning the Stanley Cup had on Ovechkin.
Washington would lose in the first round in the next four seasons after skating the Cup, under head coaches Todd Reirden — who replaced Trotz when the coach had a contract dispute with the Capitals — and Peter Laviolette, who replaced Reirden in 2020. But the afterglow of the Cup was bright enough to obscure any disappointment. Ovechkin’s MVP performance — and his continued ascent up the all-time goal-scoring rankings — were a shield from any criticism.
Ovechkin led the NHL in goals in 2018-19 and 2019-20. In total, he won the Richard Trophy in seven of eight seasons from 2012-2020. He remained a dominant goal-scorer even as he aged into being one of the NHL’s elder statesmen, something emphasized by Ovechkin’s hair and beard having gone gray.
Another hallmark of Ovechkin’s maturity — and, more importantly, how winning the Cup unburdened him — was his burgeoning friendship with Crosby. The two would bond at the NHL All-Star Game, chatting during the skills competition, the old school watching the new school.
At the 2023 All-Star Game in South Florida, Crosby, 35, and Ovechkin, 37, was a dual-entry in the breakaway challenge trick-shot competition: skating in on a three-on-none with Ovechkin’s 4-year-old son, Sergei, who had watched the event with his father near the benches while wearing an “Ovi Jr.” jersey.
“Before we ever played a game against each other, there was a rivalry,” Crosby said at the time. “It was always set up that way. I think over time, you understand that it gets heated and intense on the ice. We both want to have success. But you appreciate you playing against each other for as long as it’s been.”
Off the ice, Ovechkin’s public statements courted controversy.
In 2017, Ovechkin announced that he was spearheading a social media campaign in support of Russian president Vladimir Putin that was called “Putin Team.” Ovechkin had been a vocal supporter of Putin before. “I never hid my relationship with our president, always openly supported him,” he said. “I’m certain that there are many of us that support Vladimir Putin. Let’s unite and show everyone a strong and united Russia.”
That support was put under a microscope in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. The NHL suspended its dealings with the KHL in March 2022. It also terminated its broadcast agreement with Russian television. Russia has been frozen out of the hockey world since its invasion of Ukraine. It was banned, along with Belarus, from international hockey tournaments by the International Ice Hockey Federation starting in 2022. That ban was extended last month through the 2025-26 season.
Ovechkin received backlash from fans who were angered by the invasion — he has a photo with the Russian president as his social media profile.
“He’s my president. But like I said, I’m not in politics. I’m an athlete,” he said. “I hope everything is going to be done soon. It’s a hard situation right now for both sides.”
Ultimately, Ovechkin’s statement on the matter was a plea for peace: “Please, no more war. It doesn’t matter who is in the war — Russia, Ukraine, different countries — we have to live in peace.”
This era was also defined by Ovechkin’s decision to remain in Washington. He signed a five-year, $47.5 million deal in July 2021 to potentially play out his career with the Capitals — including his pursuit of Gretzky’s record. At that point, he was sixth on the all-time list, with 730 goals.
The Catching Gretzky Era (2024-present)
Goals scored: 67 (and counting)
One condition Ovechkin put on the Capitals before signing his extension in 2021: He wanted to play for a contender, not a rebuilding team.
Leonsis promised that a rebuild wouldn’t happen. “To me, a rebuild is when you look the players, the coaches, the fans in the eye and say we’re gonna be really, really bad. And if we were really, really bad, I don’t think Alex would break the record,” the owner said.
In turn, Ovechkin promised Leonsis that he’d stay in shape and his eyes wouldn’t be fixated on breaking Gretzky’s record of 894 goals, but on bringing another Stanley Cup to Washington.
The Capitals missed the playoffs in 2022-23 and decided to change coaches. They hired 42-year-old Spencer Carbery, an assistant coach with the Maple Leafs who had history in the Capitals’ farm system. A candid speaker and a strong tactician, Carbery returned Washington to the playoffs as a wild card in 2023-2024 and has them threatening to win the Presidents’ Trophy in 2024-25.
Leonsis kept his promise to Ovechkin, as the Capitals smartly added talent around him in players like forwards Dylan Strome and Pierre-Luc Dubois, defenseman Jakob Chychrun and goalie Logan Thompson. The prospect pipeline that had produced so many of Ovechkin’s teammates through the years gave him impact players in Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas. Considering how Crosby’s Penguins trended after their championship runs, the fact that the Capitals were a contender again was nothing short of remarkable.
Ovechkin scored 31 goals in 2023-24, but there was reasonable concern about whether he’d be able to catch Gretzky. He appeared to be slowing offensively, with an 11-goal and 10-point drop year over year. He had perhaps the worst playoff series of his career against the Rangers in 2024, with no goals or assists and five shots on goal in New York’s sweep.
Ovechkin put those concerns to rest with 17 goals in his first 20 games of the 2024-25 season, the hottest goal-scoring start of his career. Not even a fractured fibula could slow him down for long. After being injured on Nov. 18, he returned to the Capitals lineup on Dec. 28 — scoring another goal in his comeback game. As was often said about Ovechkin during a career built on good health: Russian Machine never breaks.
The gap between Ovechkin and Gretzky became one of single digits. Breaking the record was no longer just possible. It was inevitable.
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Where does Ovechkin rank all time among NHL greats?
“The Drop” discusses where Alex Ovechkin falls in the conversation of greatest hockey players in NHL history as he closes in on Wayne Gretzky’s goal record.
The Legacy Era
Ovechkin’s contract expires after the 2025-26 season. He has indicated it might be his last one in the NHL. If healthy enough, finishing his playing career with Dynamo Moscow in the KHL is a possibility.
It won’t be the last of Ovechkin in North America, of course. He would have been a Hockey Hall of Fame player with or without the goals record, but will be inducted in Toronto the moment he’s eligible.
Where Ovechkin ranks on all-time NHL player lists is subjective — criticisms of his defensive game will undoubtedly put him below a more well-rounded player like Crosby, for example. Being “the greatest goal-scorer of all-time” is more quantifiable, especially when one considers how Ovechkin achieved his career total against goaltenders, defensive systems and a depth of talent that Gretzky didn’t face for most of his career.
However Ovechkin is remembered, his legacy is the culmination of all the eras he toured throughout his NHL career. The highs, the lows, the turbulence and the triumphs combined to create one of the singular superstars in NHL history.
After breaking the 800-goal barrier during the 2022-23 season, Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin now has his sights set on breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record of 894.
Ovechkin began the 2024-25 season with 853 goals and has tied the record, with 894. The excitement around the chase has led to Ovi becoming one of the NHL’s most popular bets, with a slew of interesting props.
Follow along here as we chronicle each subsequent goal Ovechkin scores this season, including goal highlights, the upcoming Capitals schedule and how to watch.
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Upcoming schedule | Goal videos
The NHL’s top 10 in career goals
T-1. Wayne Gretzky (894)
T-1. Alex Ovechkin (894)
3. Gordie Howe (801)
4. Jaromir Jagr (766)
5. Brett Hull (741)
6. Marcel Dionne (731)
7. Phil Esposito (717)
8. Mike Gartner (708)
9. Mark Messier (694)
10. Steve Yzerman (692)
Goals scored in 2024-25
No. 894: April 4 vs. CHI
How else but on the power play? Six minutes, 13 seconds into the third period, Ovechkin scored the record-tying goal as Wayne Gretzky watched from the crowd. The monumental goal was assisted by John Carlson and Andrew Mangiapane.
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Ovechkin shows love to crowd after tying Gretzky at 894 goals
Alex Ovechkin ties Wayne Gretzky for most goals in NHL history at 894.
No. 893: April 4 vs. CHI
Ovechkin scored 3:52 into the first period against the Blackhawks to move two goals away from the all-time record — and score his 40th of the season. The goal was assisted by Dylan Strome and John Carlson.
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Ovechkin 2 away from passing Gretzky with 893rd goal
Alex Ovechkin lights the lamp as he inches closer to breaking Wayne Gretzkys all-time scoring record.
No. 892: April 2 vs. CAR
Now just three goals away from the record, Ovechkin’s 892nd was a vintage strike — powering home a shot from the left circle on a Capitals power play to cut into the Hurricanes’ lead.
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Alex Ovechkin now 3 goals away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin scores career goal 892, putting him three away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record.
No. 891: April 1 vs. BOS
Ovechkin was in the right place at the right time for his 891st career goal. He received the puck just in front of an empty net and scored on the power play — which secured his 18th career season with at least 10 power-play goals, according to ESPN Research.
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Ovechkin scores 891st goal, 4 away from breaking record
Alex Ovechkin scores from close range, putting him three away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s record.
No. 890: March 30 vs. BUF
Ovechkin’s chase to pass Gretzky can now be counted down on one hand. He found the net midway through the third period on a neat no-look tip-in.
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Ovechkin scores 890th goal, moves 5 away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin scores on a fantastic redirection for his 890th career goal.
No. 889: March 25 vs. WPG
Facing a 2-1 deficit late in the third period, Ovechkin connected on a snap shot to even the game. It marked the 150th game-tying goal of his career, 11 more than anyone else in NHL history, according to ESPN Research.
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Ovechkin’s 889th goal moves him 6 away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin nets his 889th career goal to tie the score in the third period, putting him six away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
No. 888: March 20 vs. PHI
Ovechkin put home a follow-up chance late in the first period versus the Flyers. Ovi now has has 52 career goals against Philadelphia, the all-time second-most against the Flyers, passing Mario Lemieux.
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Ovechkin 7 goals away from passing Gretzky after 888th goal
Alex Ovechkin nets his 888th career goal, putting him seven away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
No. 887: March 15 vs. SJ
Already comfortably ahead against San Jose, Ovechkin tipped in a goal in the third period. Eighteen of Ovi’s 34 goals have come in the third period this season, the most in the NHL, according to ESPN Research.
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Ovechkin’s redirect goal moves him 8 away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin redirects the puck into the net for his 887th career goal.
No. 886: March 9 vs. SEA
Ovechkin was out on the ice to help preserve a late third-period lead against Seattle, and wrestled enough space from a Kraken defender to score an empty-net goal to put the game out of reach.
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Alex Ovechkin nets career goal No. 886, eight shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin taps in an empty-netter for career goal No. 886 and his 1,600th point.
No. 885: March 5 vs. NYR
Ovi’s goal went a long way for the Capitals as it evened the score with 9:32 left in the third period. Washington went on to secure an overtime victory after Ovechkin netted his 32nd goal in 46 games this season.
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Ovechkin scores 885th goal, 10 away from passing Gretzky
Alex Ovechkin scores his 32nd goal of the season, putting him only 10 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
No. 884: March 1 vs. TB
Although the Capitals lost a showdown with old Southeastern Division foe Tampa Bay, Ovi put himself 10 goals from tying Gretzky via a third-period goal assisted by Matt Roy.
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Alex Ovechkin closes in on history with late goal for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin is just 10 goals away from Wayne Gretzky’s record 894 after this goal against the Lightning.
No. 883: Feb. 25 vs. CGY
Ovechkin connected on a goal on a Capitals power play against the Calgary Flames, his eighth in eight games and 30th of the season. Ovechkin is the fourth player in NHL history to score 30 goals at age 39 or older.
EIGHT GOALS IN EIGHT GAMES.
THE #GR8CHASE IS ROLLING FOLKS!#ALLCAPS | @BlueHalo pic.twitter.com/I09wwQi0IO
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 26, 2025
Nos. 880, 881, 882: Feb. 23 vs. EDM
Ovechkin first found the net nearly halfway through the second period against the Edmonton Oilers. About ten minutes later, he did it again, concluding a Washington power play with a goal. His third came on an empty netter late in the third period, Ovechkin’s seventh empty net goal this season.
Ovechkin has 200 goals since Jan. 1, 2020, becoming the first player in NHL history to score 200+ goals in three different decades. Ovechkin is now on pace to break Gretzky’s career goals record by the end of this season, per all three methodologies ESPN Research has used.
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Ovechkin’s hat trick puts him 13 away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin scores a hat trick against the Oilers to reach 882 career goals.
No. 879: Feb. 6 vs. PHI
Down 1-0 in the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers, Ovechkin evened the score in the final minute with a one-timer.
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Alex Ovechkin moves 16 goals away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin scores his 879th career goal to move 16 goals away from eclipsing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record
No. 878: Feb. 4 vs. FLA
Every second counts. Ovechkin netted his 878th goal with just 0.1 seconds left, slotting the puck in an empty net against the Florida Panthers.
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Alexander Ovechkin beats the buzzer to score goal 878
Alexander Ovechkin scores an empty-netter with 0.1 left to give him his 878th goal of his career.
No. 877: Feb. 1 vs. WPG
Ovechkin tied the game with under eight minutes left in the third period with his 877th goal. The Caps would lose in overtime in a matchup of two of the NHL’s top teams.
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Alex Ovechkin brings Caps even with his 877th career goal
Alex Ovechkin ties the score at 4 and moves 18 goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record.
No. 876: Jan. 30 vs. OTT
Ovechkin scored against the Ottawa Senators exactly two weeks in ago in their Jan. 16 matchup and did it again with a power play finish in the third period against Ottawa. It marked Ovechkin’s NHL-record 318th career power play goal.
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Alex Ovechkin nets his 876th goal with a great shot from the point
Alex Ovechkin finds the back of the net for his 876th goal to pull the Capitals within 1.
No. 875: Jan. 23 vs. SEA
Ovi added another empty-net tally to his career total to put the finishing touches on this victory for the Caps, assisted by Trevor van Riemsdyk and Jakob Chychrun.
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Alex Ovechkin scores 875th NHL goal
Alex Ovechkin scores in the third period and is now 20 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky on the NHL’s all-time list.
No. 874: Jan. 16 vs. OTT
Ovechkin locked in one record with his 874th goal. He broke the mark for the most goaltenders scored on after slotting one past Ottawa’s Leevi Merilainen for a game-winning overtime goal.
0:58
Alex Ovechkin’s 874th career goal wins it in OT for the Capitals
Alex Ovechkin breaks through in overtime with his 874th career goal to propel the Capitals to a 1-0 win.
No. 873: Jan. 11 vs. NSH
Ovechkin put the finishing touches on a the Caps’ 4-1 win over the Predators by way of an empty-net goal.
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Alex Ovechkin scores his 873rd career goal on empty net
Alex Ovechkin moves 21 goals away from Wayne Gretzky’s record with an empty-net goal to seal the Capitals’ win.
No. 872: Jan. 4 vs. NYR
The Capitals wound up scoring seven on the reeling Rangers, and Ovechkin’s 19th of the season made it 5-3 in the third period, assisted by Dylan Strome.
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Alex Ovechkin scores his 872nd career goal to increase Caps’ lead
Alex Ovechkin nets his 872nd career goal and is 23 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record.
No. 871: Jan. 2 vs. MIN
Although the Capitals lost in a shootout to the Wild, Ovechkin added to his career total via a second-period, power-play goal, assisted by Dylan Strome.
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Ovechkin inches closer to Gretzky’s record with another goal
Alex Ovechkin moves closer to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goalscoring record with this fierce finish vs. the Wild.
No. 870: Dec. 29 vs. DET
Ovechkin is making up for time lost during his injury absence, scoring his second goal in as many games since returning. His 17th of the season was assisted by Jakob Chychrun and Connor McMichael.
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Ovechkin inches closer to Gretzky with 870th goal
Alex Ovechkin is now 25 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 goals.
No. 869: Dec. 28 vs. TOR
In his first game back following a five-week stint on injured reserve, Ovechkin notched an empty-net goal to seal the deal against the Maple Leafs. The goal was assisted by Aliaksei Protas and Pierre-Luc Dubois.
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Alex Ovechkin scores in return to Capitals
Alex Ovechkin comes one goal closer to the record after scoring an empty-net goal.
No. 868, 867: Nov. 18 vs. UTA
A day after his hat trick against Vegas, Ovechkin scored two more against the Hockey Club — and might’ve had another if he wasn’t knocked out of the game following a collision with Jack McBain. Goal No. 867 was assisted by Pierre-Luc Dubois, while No. 868 was on the power play, and assisted by John Carlson and Dylan Strome.
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Ovechkin’s 2nd goal of the night gets him to 868
Alex Ovechkin nets his second goal of the game to put the Capitals up 4-1 over the Utah HC, and moves within 26 goals of tying Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
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Alex Ovechkin cashes goal 867 for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin finds the back of the net to give the Capitals a 3-1 lead over Utah, and moves within 27 goals of tying Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
No. 866, 865, 864: Nov. 17 vs. VGK
Back in 2018, Ovechkin and the Capitals won the Stanley Cup in Vegas. There was less at stake in this game, but Ovi came through with a hat trick in the Caps’ 5-2 win: a first-period, power-play tally (assisted by John Carlson and Dylan Strome), a second-period score assisted by Matt Roy, and an empty-net goal to cap it off (assisted by Aliaksei Protas and Martin Fehervary).
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Alex Ovechkin lights the lamp
Alex Ovechkin lights the lamp
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Alex Ovechkin nets goal for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin nets goal for Capitals
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Ovechkin’s 864th goal tips off defender’s stick
Alex Ovechkin nets his 864th career goal after his shot banks off Alex Pietrangelo’s stick.
No. 863, 862: Nov. 9, 2024 vs. STL
Did you seriously think that an 8-1 win for the Capitals would not include any goals from Ovechkin? Ovi scored in the second period (assisted by Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome) to make it 2-1, then added a power-play tally in the third (assisted by Strome and Tom Wilson) to make it 4-1.
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Ovechkin tallies his 2nd goal of the game and 863rd of career
Alex Ovechkin’s wrist shot finds the net to pad the Capitals’ lead vs. the Blues and creep ever closer towards Gretzky’s scoring record.
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Alex Ovechkin nets 862nd goal
Alex Ovechkin nets 862nd goal
No. 861: Nov. 6, 2024 vs. NSH
Ovechkin scored his eighth goal of the season at 10:25 of the third period on assists from Dylan Strome and Martin Fehervary.
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Alex Ovechkin nets 861st NHL goal vs. Nashville
Alex Ovechkin nets 861st NHL goal vs. Nashville
No. 860: Nov. 3, 2024 vs. CAR
Though the Capitals lost, 4-2, Ovi notched a first-period, power-play tally, on assists from John Carlson and Dylan Strome.
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Ovechkin tallies 860th goal, 34 away from tying Gretzky
Alex Ovechkin scores on the power play, which is his 860th career goal, making him 34 shy of tying Wayne Gretzky for the most goals of all time.
No. 859: Nov. 2, 2024 vs. CBJ
Ovechkin was one of six different Capitals to score in the team’s route of the BJs, and his goal was assisted by Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas.
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Ovechkin tallies goal No. 859 for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin slaps it in from distance to get his 859th career goal and pad the Capitals’ lead vs. the Blue Jackets.
No. 858: Oct. 31, 2024 vs. MTL
A 6-3 Capitals win with an Ovechkin goal as the capper? The fans went home happy from this one. Assists on this goal were from Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome.
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Alex Ovechkin tallies goal No. 858 for Caps
Alex Ovechkin pads the Capitals’ lead vs. the Canadiens with his 858th career goal.
No. 857, 856: Oct. 29, 2024 vs. NYR
A raucous, 5-3 win for the Capitals included two first-period tallies from Ovi, both assisted by Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome.
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Alex Ovechkin’s 857th goal puts Capitals back on top
Alex Ovechkin nets his second goal of the first period to retake the Capitals’ early lead vs. the Rangers.
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Alex Ovechkin 856th goal gets the Capitals on the board
Alex Ovechkin scores early in the first period to give the Capitals a quick 1-0 lead over the Rangers.
No. 855: Oct. 23, 2024 vs. PHI
Ovechkin has a knack for empty-net goals, and added to his career total in that category to cap off a win against Philly, with an assist from Dylan Strome.
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Alex Ovechkin scores goal vs. Flyers
Alex Ovechkin scores goal vs. Flyers
No. 854: Oct. 19, 2024 vs. NJ
It took to the fourth game of the Capitals’ season for Ovechkin to get his first marker of the campaign, on assists from John Carlson and Dylan Strome.
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Alex Ovechkin scores goal for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin nets goal for Capitals
Upcoming schedule
Note: All games available to ESPN+ subscribers at no extra charge as part of NHL Power Play on ESPN+, unless otherwise noted. Blackout restrictions apply.
Sun, Apr 6: at Islanders, 12:30 (TNT/truTV/Max)
Thu, Apr 10: vs. Carolina, 7:30
Sat, Apr 12: at Columbus, 7:00 (ABC/ESPN+)
Sun, Apr 13: vs. Columbus, 6:00
Tue, Apr 15: at Islanders, 8:00 (ESPN)
Thu, Apr 17: at Pittsburgh, 7:00 (ESPN)
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