Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is without doubt one of the most heralded gamers in NHL historical past. The legendary ahead has already etched his identify in historical past, however he is nonetheless chasing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time targets report.

Ovechkin is on the verge of changing into the NHL’s all-time targets chief, and he can move Gretzky’s mark of 894 earlier than the top of season. The Capitals standout presently has 884 profession targets after scoring Washington’s solely objective in a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon.

He now wants 11 extra targets within the workforce’s remaining 22 video games with a purpose to prime Gretzky’s report this season.

The 2023-24 marketing campaign proved to be a mortal one for Ovechkin the place he scored 31 targets, his lowest complete in a full-length season since he netted 32 within the 2012-13 season. Ovechkin did have simply 24 targets in 2020-21, however that season was shortened as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.

Ovechkin scored 42 targets throughout the 2022-23 season, and has tallied not less than 41 targets in 13 of his 19 NHL seasons.

Ovechkin presently has tallied 1,598 factors (884 targets, 714 assists) in his skilled profession. He made much more historical past in 2023-24 when he registered an NHL report 18th 30-goal season, passing Mike Gartner’s 17 for the glory.

At this season’s tempo, given well being, Ovechkin would surpass “The Nice One” earlier than the top of the common season.

Ovechkin will probably proceed to be a longtime pressure on the Capitals’ prime power-play unit, so there figures to be loads of goal-scoring alternatives. He, clearly, has scored at a significantly better tempo than he did a 12 months in the past when he recorded simply 5 targets over the primary two months of the season.

CBS Sports activities will hold monitor of Ovechkin’s targets all through the season and hold tabs on how shut he’s to eclipsing Gretzky’s all-time report.