Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record is in danger.
After scoring his 890th career goal in Sunday’s 8-5 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin is five goals from passing the Great One.
At his current goal-scoring pace, Washington’s captain would pass Gretzky with room to spare this season. The Capitals (47-17-9) have nine games remaining, including three at home.
Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 38 goals in 57 games, a 0.67 goal-per-game average. At that rate, he’s most likely to break the record against the New York Islanders on April 15.
Even when Ovechkin isn’t finding that back of the net, he’s still boosting Washington’s offense.
In the first period of Sunday’s game, the 39-year-old fired his trademark one-timer at Sabres goaltender James Reimer, who blocked it. But the velocity on the shot allowed the puck to ricochet to Washington defenseman Jakob Chychrun.
PHOTOS: Capitals' Alex Ovechkin on track to break Gretzky's NHL career goals record
He didn’t miss, notching his 19th goal of the season.
Chychrun responded to an early second-period score by Buffalo with his second goal of the game. Sabres winger Alex Tuch followed up with another goal though, his second of the day, to give Buffalo a 3-2 lead.
The Sabres added another goal from center Sam Lafferty to take a 4-2 advantage into the third period.
Buffalo survived a wild, back-and-forth third period that saw three Washington goals — including one by Ovechkin — to secure the 8-5 victory.
Ovechkin’s goal total continues to wow his teammates as he inches toward the record. Aliaksei Protas — who scored his 30th goal of the season — said he couldn’t even hope to match his teammate’s 890 scores on the NHL 25 video game.
“It’s an insane number,” Protas said. “He’s chasing something special.”
Ovechkin added a pair of assists to finish with three points on the night.
The three-time MVP couldn’t fully celebrate the occasion, though. He was focused on his squad’s ongoing losing streak.
“We’ve lost three in a row. It’s a good thing it’s happening right now and not in the playoffs,” Ovechkin said after the game. “We just have to bounce back and find our way to win games.”
When the record was further away, Capitals coach Spencer Carbery warned that goals would only become more difficult for Ovechkin. He was right.
After notching seven goals in just eight games last month, the 39-year-old needed 14 games to match that total in March.
Carbery levied some of the responsibility for Ovechkin’s slowdown on his players.
“There are maybe some situations where we could have been a bit more selfish and shot a puck,” he said before Sunday’s game, noting that being patient with passes to Ovechkin can give him better opportunities later in the attack. “That’s the hard thing to understand in the moment when [Ovechkin] is even slightly open.”
Ovechkin doesn’t often take the puck into the offensive zone at this point in his storied career. The three-time MVP floats toward the goal at his own pace, setting up in the best zones to give his squad a shot to score.
But nobody wants to be included in the Ovechkin highlights package. Like a celestial body, the winger draws his own gravity, forcing opposing defenders to orbit around him.
Each time No. 8 reared his stick back for a slapshot, the fans in the crowd held their collective breath. They shared an exasperated sigh when each shot hit the goalie’s pads or the glass behind the goal.
When Ovechkin finally found the back of the net in the third period, Capital One Arena erupted.
Even in games where the record seems out of reach — Ovechkin would’ve needed an unlikely six-goal game to pass Gretzky — opposing teams are still thinking about it.
“I wouldn’t count him out,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said before Sunday’s game.
The Eastern Conference-leading Capitals have already clinched a playoff berth with nine games remaining. Washington could clinch the top spot in the conference with five more wins.
“Good teams find a way to bounce back. We’ve done that all season,” winger Tom Wilson said. “The next game is big.”
The Capitals return to action against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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