WASHINGTON (AP) Alex Ovechkin is built like a linebacker with the motor of a steam engine and the mentality of a wrecking ball.He can score like no other player of this generation and few in history and has the physicality to match. That was evident from his first NHL shift when he powered up ice and crushed Columbus defenseman Radoslav Suchy so hard it knocked out the stanchion between the panes of plexiglass.Ovechkin at 32 is no longer the human bulldozer he once was www.coyotesproshop.com , but his hard-hitting style never put a dent in his prime years as he became the fourth-fastest player to 600 goals . On Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Washington Capitals‘ 2004 No. 1 pick will be the first player from that draft class to play 1,000 NHL regular-season games, a testament to his durability that is also difficult to duplicate in modern hockey.”That he has reached 1,000 games this quickly is an amazing accomplishment with the way he plays,” Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said. ”These are big men, and the league has gotten faster but it’s also gotten much more fit, and that Alex has been able to span those generations and continue to play and be incredibly productive is really a historic feat.”In 13 seasons, Ovechkin has missed more than four games only once and never missed more than 10. Take out the eight games for suspensions and the Russian winger has only sat out for injury 21 times out of a possible 1 Arizona Coyotes T-Shirts Womens ,028.”I heard a couple years ago that he said he’s the Russian Machine,” longtime teammate Nicklas Backstrom said. ”That probably has something to do with it.”Ovechkin brushed off an injury in his second season with the now-famous line, ”Russian machine never breaks.” Ovechkin has played through knee and back pain and finished one playoff series on a fractured foot, illustrating his pain tolerance while also avoiding the kinds of serious injuries that derail other players’ careers.Goaltender Braden Holtby pointed out that it helps Ovechkin to not kill penalties and risk injuries in those situations while also marveling at how the Moscow native is built. His 6-foot-3, 235-pound frame gives him the tools to punish opponents with his body as much as his shot.”When you’re big guy like Ovi, you’re not gonna be afraid to hit no one,” Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov said. ”And when people gonna hit you, they’re gonna feel it, for sure.”When Barry Trotz coached in Nashville Arizona Coyotes Hoodies Womens , he remembered players seeing Ovechkin down the hallway cutting his stick and whispering about how big he was. Ovechkin had that intimidating presence to him.”Trust me, we had a lot of nervous defensemen,” Trotz said. ”We had a couple of nervous cats.”Watching Ovechkin’s sometimes reckless play could have at one point made the Capitals nervous, too, because of how valuable he is and how important it is he stay healthy. In recent years, he has toned it down with age and as hockey has gotten faster with lower priorities on hitting.”As soon as you get a little older, you realize when you have to get a hit and when you have to take a hit,” Ovechkin said. ”You can see right now in the playoffs it’s different hockey. Of course, every shift you try to do something out there Arizona Coyotes Hats Womens , but in the regular year you don’t have to run around and hit everybody because if a game is 5-2 or 4-1 you don’t have to do it. Obviously you have to play smarter and try to do different things.”Evolving his game as a scorer and a power forward has helped Ovechkin get to this point where he’s on the verge of leading the league in goals for the seventh time and reach 50 for the eighth time.If Ovechkin, who still has Stanley Cup aspirations and three years left on his contract, maintains this level of durability and wants to keep playing in North America toward age 40, reaching 1,500 games isn’t out of the question.”There are a lot of players that have played 1,000 games but not as many players have scored 600 goals,” Leonsis said. ”If he takes cares of himself – which he has been, he looks great – he can play a lot of years in the league.”— ST. LOUIS (AP) — Oskar Sundqvist was concerned about more than just hockey after he sustained serious facial injuries on an illegal hit by Tom Wilson in a preseason game against the Washington Capitals on Sept. 30.Sundqvist made a statement in his third game since getting back in the lineup by scoring two rare goals to lead the St. Louis Blues past the Vegas Golden Knights 5-3 on Thursday night.The 24-year-old center from Sweden didn’t think he would return to action this soon.“I’m happy to be able to be back and mostly happy that my head is completely fine,” Sundqvist said.Vladimir Tarasenko Custom Arizona Coyotes Jerseys , Tyler Bozak and Colton Parayko also scored for the Blues. Jake Allen stopped 31 shots for his first win against Vegas after going 0-0-2 last season.“We’re just connected more as a group,” Allen said after the Blues won consecutive games for the first time this season. “Before we had spurts, but spurts aren’t good enough in this league.”Sundqvist’s second goal of the game — and the season — put the Blues ahead to stay 6:29 into the second period on a pass from Robert Thomas. Sundqvist entered with just two goals in 72 NHL games.Blues coach Mike Yeo wasn’t surprised by his performance.“We’ve seen that upside,” Yeo said. “I don’t know that we’re going to expect him to score two goals every single game he plays this year. He’s moving better. He’s playing with more confidence.”Parayko added some insurance when he rifled a one-timer from Ryan O’Reilly past Marc-Andre Fleury for his third of the season 14:51 into the second to make it 4-2.Fleury allowed five goals, matching a season high, on 26 shots and fell to 5-5-1. He also gave up five goals on Oct. 4 versus Philadelphia.“Usually when you give up five goals you say your goaltending wasn’t good,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. “Well that wasn’t the case at all. They could have had 10 goals.”Vegas cut its deficit to 4-3 when Alex Tuch scored his third of the season on a power play from point-blank range 8:02 into the third. Bozak responded with his third goal 3:45 later.“I thought on our end we got a little lackadaisical,” Tuch said. “We gave them too many opportunities, too many chances www.bruinsshoponline.com , and that’s what happens.”Tarasenko got his team-leading sixth goal when he used his backhand to push Bozak’s deflected shot into the wide-open near side of the net to give St. Louis a 2-1 edge 3:11 into the second.Erik Haula tied it only 23 seconds later with his second of the season as his shot from the point trickled through Allen’s pads.Pierre-Edouard Bellemare made it 1-all at 6:29 when he beat Allen from in front after the Blues failed to clear the puck from behind the net.Sundqvist scored his first goal 2:02 into the first period. He found a loose puck in front of Fleury and turned on one knee to slide it into an open net. Thomas also assisted on that goal and ended up with his first career multipoint game.NOTES: Blues LW Robby Fabbri skated in his first regular-season game since Feb. 4, 2017, versus Toronto, which was Yeo’s first game as St. Louis coach. Fabbri missed 123 games after tearing the ACL in his left knee twice. … St. Louis has allowed at least three goals in 10 of 11 games this season. … O’Reilly extended his point streak to six games (three goals, eight assists). … Vegas is 1-7-0 when trailing after two periods. … Vegas LW Jonathan Marchessault has a point in three consecutive games.UP NEXTGolden Knights: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.Blues: Host the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.