Apr 2, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) clebrates his goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

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Alex Ovechkin Record Chase : What If Ovi and Wayne Gretzky Were Tied?

History can be unpredictable…

The chase for Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record continues for Alex Ovechkin as the NHL season nears its end. But last night, things took a rather incredible turn.

Against the Hurricanes, Ovechkin scored his 892nd career goal late in the second period, assisted by Jakob Chychrun on a power play. At the time, the Capitals were trailing 4–0. The goal didn’t change the outcome, as Carolina went on to win 5–1, led by a two-goal performance from Jackson Blake.

THREE. GOALS. LEFT. 😱

Alex Ovechkin is getting closer and closer to the all-time NHL goals record 🔥 pic.twitter.com/OwXxNK2F3o
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 3, 2025

It was Ovechkin’s 39th goal of the season in 59 games played. That puts him just one goal away from hitting the 40-goal mark for the 14th time in his career.

Alex Ovechkin and Wayne Gretzky – A Perfect Tie?

But if you look closer at Ovechkin’s career stats, you’ll notice something striking: the Russian has now scored 892 goals in 1,485 games.

Wayne Gretzky scored his 894 goals in… 1,487 games.

That means in just two more games, we could be witnessing a perfect tie—same number of goals in the same number of games!

We could very well see Ovi and The Great One with the exact same stat line in two games 👀 #Gr8Chase pic.twitter.com/7CN2Hsb8Oq
— NHL (@NHL) April 3, 2025

And it gets even better: in two games, the Capitals are scheduled to face the Islanders—the very team against which Wayne Gretzky scored his 894th goal back in 1999, as a member of the New York Rangers.

For this historic moment, Wayne Gretzky is expected to attend the game at Capital One Arena. But according to Ovechkin, none of this “changes anything.” Still, the moment he nets goal No. 894 promises to be unforgettable.

“It’s going to be pretty crazy,” Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk said. “It feels like it’s right there and he feels like he’s still scoring every night. So, it’s been huge for us and, obviously, awesome for him to see that he’s still doing it at this torrid pace.”

Ovechkin will get his next chance to inch closer to the Great One on Friday night against the Blackhawks, before a potentially historic showdown with the Islanders on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET!

Credit Photo: James Guillory-Imagn Images

Charles Taudin

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Global Editorial Chief of The Playoffs, I created The Free Agent, which became The Playoffs FR, in 2020 during the pandemic. A longtime fan of the four major American sports, I now oversee the editorial strategy and social media for all versions of The Playoffs. I still occasionally write about sports I’m particularly passionate about, such as the NFL or MLB. If there’s one thing you should remember: Eli Manning is the true GOAT for beating Tom Brady twice.