Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is back from his fractured left fibula and resuming his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goal record.
Ovechkin, 39, had missed 16 games after absorbing a leg-on-leg collision during a Nov. 18 game against the Utah Hockey Club. He returned on Dec. 28 and has scored goals in three of his first four games back.
Ovechkin entered this season needing 42 goals to break Gretzky’s record of 894 career goals, which has stood since 1999. The Capitals captain has 18 goals this season, with 44 games left.
If he doesn’t reach the record this season, he has one more season left on his contract.
Here’s where Ovechkin stands in his chase of Gretzky’s goal record:
How many goals does Alex Ovechkin have?
Ovechkin has 871 career goals.
How close is Alex Ovechkin to Wayne Gretzky’s goal record?
Ovechkin needs 24 goals to break Gretzky’s record.
How many goals does Alex Ovechkin have this season?
Ovechkin has 18 goals and 10 assists in 22 games. Factoring in the 16 games he missed, that is a 54-goal pace.
What did Alex Ovechkin do in his last game?
He had one goal on four shots in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild. He fired a snap shot from the point past Marc-Andre Fleury on a power play during the second period. Ovechkin has scored 28 regular-season goals against Fleury, the most he’s scored on any goalie. Fleury did stop Ovechkin’s shootout attempt to seal the win.
When is Alex Ovechkin’s next game?
The Capitals play Saturday, Jan. 4, at home against the New York Rangers. Ovechkin has 44 goals in 74 career games vs. the Rangers.
Alex Ovechkin career goal breakdown
Even strength: 549, third overall
Power play: 317, a record
Short-handed: 5
Empty net: 60, a record
Game winners: 132, second overall
Multi-goal games: 177, second overall
Goalies scored against: 178, tied for record
Hat tricks: 31, sixth overall
Who are the NHL’s top all-time goal scorers?
The top 21 NHL all-time goal scorers all have 600 or more goals. All of the players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, except Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Jaromir Jagr, who are still playing.
1. Wayne Gretzky, 894 goals in 1,487 games
2. Alex Ovechkin, 871 goals in 1,448 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. Sidney Crosby, 602 goals in 1,310 games
21. Jari Kurri, 601 goals in 1,251 games