Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin broke an NHL record Tuesday night as he continues to chase all-time goal leader Wayne Gretzky.
Ovechkin scored his 30th goal of the season in a 2-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings that moved Washington into a playoff spot. It was the 18th time in his career he has hit that milestone, breaking the record he had shared with Hall of Famer Mike Gartner.
The goal ended up being the 129th game-winning goal of his career, leaving him six behind record-holder Jaromir Jagr.
Scoring 30 goals seemed unlikely for Ovechkin before the All-Star break, when he had several long droughts. But he has surged with 18 goals in 24 games, including eight goals in five games. He also has four goals in his last four games.
In the process, he broke Gretzky’s record for empty-net goals and moved into second place all-time with 19 consecutive 20-goal seasons.
Gretzky, who played from 1979-99, has a record 894 regular-season NHL goals. Ovechkin, 38,who passed Gordie Howe last season to move into second place, has 852 goals and needs 43 more to pass Gretzky. Ovechkin has two years left on his contract after this season.
Here’s where he stands in his chase of Gretzky’s goal record:
How many goals does Alex Ovechkin have this season?
Ovechkin has 30 goals and is on pace for 32. He needed to average 24 goals a season during his current contract to tie Gretzky’s record. His pace had been for 14 goals before the All-Star break.
How close is Alex Ovechkin to Wayne Gretzky?
Ovechkin, with 852 career goals, needs 43 goals to break Gretzky’s record.
What did Alex Ovechkin do in the Capitals’ last game?
Tuesday: He had one goal on two shots against the Red Wings. He took a pass from T.J. Oshie, skated into the Detroit zone and ripped a wrist shot from the faceoff circle past Detroit goalie Alex Lyon.
How is Alex Ovechkin’s season going?
Much better now than before the All-Star break, when he had an uncharacteristically slow start. Ovechkin had no shots on goal in consecutive games for the first time in his career and only two goals in his first 12 games. He scored three goals over his next three games before going through a career-worst 14-game drought. He went another three games without a goal before scoring in back-to-back games on Dec. 30 and Jan. 2. He had no goals in the eight games surrounding a three-game injury absence.
Ovechkin then got on a roll. He scored on Jan. 27 during the Capitals’ last game before the All-Star break and scored in six of the first seven games after the break. He was held to two goals over 11 games, then had eight goals in his next five games before being shut out in the following four games. He has four goals in his last four games. He’s second on the Capitals with 63 points in 75 games and has moved past Joe Thornton for 13th place in career points (1,548).
When does Alex Ovechkin play next?
The Capitals next play on Thursday at the Buffalo Sabres. Ovechkin has 41 goals in 64 career games vs. the Sabres. He has one assist in two games against them this season.
Who are the NHL’s top all-time goal scorers?
The top 20 NHL all-time goal scorers have all topped 600 goals. All are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, except Ovechkin and Jaromir Jagr, who has suited up this season in the Czech Republic.
1. Wayne Gretzky, 894 goals in 1,487 games
2. Alex Ovechkin, 852 goals in 1,422 games
3. Gordie Howe, 801 goals in 1,767 games
4. Jaromir Jagr, 766 goals in 1,733 games
5. Brett Hull, 741 goals in 1,269 games
6. Marcel Dionne, 731 in 1,348 games
7. Phil Esposito, 717 goals in 1,282 games
8. Mike Gartner, 708 goals in 1,432 games
9. Mark Messier, 694 goals in 1,756 games
10. Steve Yzerman, 692 goals in 1,514 games
11. Mario Lemieux, 690 goals in 915 games
12. Teemu Selanne, 684 goals in 1,451 games
13. Luc Robitaille, 668 goals in 1,431 games
14. Brendan Shanahan, 656 goals in 1,524 games
15. Dave Andreychuk, 640 goals in 1,639 games
16. Jarome Iginla, 625 goals in 1,554 games
17. Joe Sakic, 625 goals in 1,378 games
18. Bobby Hull, 610 goals in 1,063 games
19. Dino Ciccarelli, 608 goals in 1,232 games
20. Jari Kurri, 601 goals in 1,251 games