Ovechkin passes Gretzky for most NHL road goals, leads Capitals to rout Canucks

Alex Ovechkin scored twice — and made history in the process — as the Washington Capitals outscored the Vancouver Canucks 4-1 on Tuesday.

He now has 403 road goals, passing Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history.

Anthony Mantha added a goal and an assist for the Capitals (10-11-3), while John Carlson and Martin Fehervary also scored.

Washington’s Dary Kuemper blocked 31 of 32 shots and Spencer Martin made 23 saves for Vancouver.

Ovechkin came close to scoring a hat trick when Vancouver fired Martin for an extra forward with just over six minutes left on the game clock, but his one-shot flare grazed the outside post of the empty net.

WATCH l Ovechkin’s historic night helps Capitals defeat Canucks:

Fehervary then sealed the score at 5-1, tossing a high puck into the Canucks’ zone and into the unmanned crease at 15:57 of the third.

Carlson sidelined the lone count in the second, sliding in a loose puck from low hash marks at 18:47 into the period to give Washington a three-goal cushion.

The visitors took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission after Mantha, alone at the top of the crease, fired a wrist shot past Martin at 2:35 into the first frame. Lars Eller recorded an assist on the play, marking the 200th assist of his NHL career.

Hoglander put the Canucks on the board 40 seconds earlier with his second goal of the season. The Swedish winger picked up the puck from JT Miller and raced across the crease, placing a backhand shot between Kuemper’s skate and the post.

Ovechkin made history 11:52 into the first period, firing a one-timer from the faceoff circle past Martin to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead with his 13th of the season. Strike scored his 403rd goal on the road.

The future Hall of Famer netted his first of the night after 5:35 a.m. As Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes came from behind the net, Ovechkin scooped the puck off his stick and fired a quick shot to give it a 10-0 lead. 1-0 in Washington.

It was his 135th game opener, tying Jaromir Jagr for the most in the NHL history books.

The result gives the Capitals a two-game season series sweep. They also picked up a 6-4 victory over the Canucks in Washington on October 17.