Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is getting closer to breaking Wayne Gretzky`s record for the most goals in NHL history. On Tuesday, Ovechkin scored his 889th career goal in an overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets, furthering his pursuit of the milestone.
Ovechkin now needs only six more goals to pass Gretzky`s record of 894 goals. He played on Thursday against the Wild but did not score.
As Ovechkin gets closer to the record, hockey fans are wondering if he will break it before this regular season ends. According to SportsLine data, there`s a 62.17% chance Ovechkin will break the record this season.
SportsLine predicts that Ovechkin is most likely to break the record between April 12th and 17th. They estimate an 11.35% chance he`ll break it on April 12th against the Columbus Blue Jackets, with a slightly higher chance on April 13th against the same team. The most probable game for him to break the record, according to the data, is April 15th against the Islanders, with a 15.18% chance.
Ovechkin has scored three goals in his last six games, scoring in every other game. He has accumulated six goals in 12 games throughout March.
This season, Ovechkin has 36 goals and 24 assists as he aims to reach the 40-goal mark for the third time in the last four seasons.
The Capitals are also competing for the Presidents` Trophy, awarded to the team with the most points in the league. With Washington aiming for a top spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, Ovechkin should have plenty of opportunities to score in the remaining weeks of the regular season.
