Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is celebrated as one of the greatest players in NHL history. This legendary forward has already secured his place in history but is still pursuing Wayne Gretzky`s all-time goal record.
Now at 39 years old, Ovechkin is close to becoming the NHL`s all-time leading scorer and could surpass Gretzky`s record of 894 goals before this season concludes. Currently, the Capitals` prominent player has 892 career goals, scoring his 39th goal of the season on Wednesday during a game against the Hurricanes.
This goal marked Ovechkin`s third consecutive game with a goal.
In his professional career, Ovechkin has accumulated 1,616 points (892 goals and 724 assists). With seven games remaining in the 2024-25 season for the Capitals, Ovechkin needs just three more goals to break Gretzky`s record.
Although Ovechkin is on pace and showing strong recent scoring form, he has little room for error. If he maintains his current scoring rate, he might break Gretzky`s record as early as April 17, the final day of the regular season, or even sooner.
Scoring multiple goals in a game would significantly improve his chances. He has achieved this five times this season, but only once since late November. Here`s the Capitals` upcoming schedule and the average goals allowed per game by each opponent.
Capitals Upcoming Schedule
- April 4: vs. Blackhawks (3.59)
- April 6: at Islanders (3.06)
- April 10: vs. Hurricanes (2.66)
Ovechkin, who reached 1,600 career points on March 9, becoming the 11th NHL player to do so, scored 42 goals in the 2022-23 season. He has achieved at least 41 goals in 13 of his 19 NHL seasons.
In the 2023-24 season, Ovechkin made history by achieving his 18th 30-goal season, an NHL record, surpassing Mike Gartner`s previous record of 17. He has now extended this record to 19 seasons.
The progress of Ovechkin`s pursuit of Gretzky`s record is being closely followed.
Elton Marrow