Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals approaches NHL career goals record of 894 owned by Wayne Gretzky.

Ovechkin has 866 goals after scoring 13 goals in the first 17 games this season. He needs 29 to set a new record.

Ovechkin entered season 42 without breaking a record set by “The Great One” that long seemed untouchable. The 39-year-old Russian is in his 20th NHL season and is on pace to reach 895 sometime in late February.

Alex Ovechkin scored the last goal

Ovechkin had a hat trick in a 5-2 win in Vegas on Sunday, with goals of 864, 865 and 866 in the same arena where he and the Capitals celebrated the franchise’s only Stanley Cup championship in 2018.

It was his 16th career hat trick on the road. Only Gretzky and Mario Lemieux with 19 and Marcel Dionne with 17 have more. Ovechkin’s 31st career hat trick was also his 176th multi-goal game, second only to Gretzky (189).

When is Ovechkin’s next match?

Ovechkin will play his first game in Salt Lake City on Monday evening against the Utah Hockey Club.

What are Ovechkin’s stats?

Ovechkin already holds the NHL records for power play goals with 315 and shots on goal with 6,687.

He has that too 131 winning goalsfive away from breaking Jaromir Jagr’s goal (135).

Ovechkin has scored on 177 different goaltenders and counting. Only Jagr precedes him at 178.

Ovechkin earlier this season became the 60th player He has recorded 700 career assists and is now at 707. He joins Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Jagr, Dionne and Phil Esposito as the only players with 700 goals and 700 assists.

Who are the NHL’s top scorers?

Ovechkin, after climbing past Mike Gartner (708), Esposito (717), Dionne (731), Brett Hull (741) and Jagr (766), scored goal no. 802 on December 23, 2022, to rank second all-time behind Gretzky (894).

Who previously held the record for career goals?

Gretzky has held the record since scoring his 802nd goal on March 23, 1994, passing Howe. He added 92 more before retiring in 1999 after a total of 1,487 games in twenty seasons. Ovechkin has played a total of 1,443 games so far.

Gretzky holds 55 NHL records, and even if his scoring mark falls to Ovechkin — which he has repeatedly said he is excited about — two of them seem truly untouchable: 2,857 total points and 1,963 assists, which alone is more than anyone else in goals and assists combined. .

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