Capitals’ Ovechkin scores goal No. 885, 10 away from breaking Gretzky’s record

He’s getting closer…

In a game against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin scored the 885th goal of his NHL career, putting him nine back of tying Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 goals.

The goal occurred just past the halfway mark of the third period. With the Capitals trailing 2-1, Ovechkin jammed in a rebound by Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin after the scoring chance was set up by teammates Andrew Mangiapane and Connor McMichael.

Even though the goal came from the visiting team, fans inside Madison Square Garden had to respect the run Ovechkin has been on, belting out a brief “Ovi” chant after the goal was scored.

It was also the 31st goal Ovechkin has scored at the World’s Most Famous Arena. In fact, it was the Russian winger’s 46th goal against the Rangers, the most against the Original Six franchise by any active player. With the marker coming on the man advantage, Ovi added another goal to his NHL power-play goals record, as he now has 321 PPGs in his illustrious career.

The 39-year-old has potted seven goals in his last six appearances, including a hat trick against the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 23.

With 20 games remaining in the regular season, Ovi has to average a goal every other game to break the record.

The GR8 now has 32 goals on the season, doing so in 46 games. Ovechkin arguably could be closer to Gretzky’s record, if not already passed it, had he suffered a lower-body injury earlier this season that forced him to miss considerable time.

In 1,472 career games, Ovechkin has registered 714 assists and 1,599 points. He has won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy nine times, scoring 50 or more goals on nine occasions, and scoring a career-high 65 goals during the 2007-08 campaign.