The Great Eight is within striking distance of Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record of 894, which Gretzky reached on March 29, 1999, against the New York Islanders. Ovechkin began this season with 853 career goals.

Alex Ovechkin is knocking on the door of hockey history and the title of the greatest scorer the sport has ever seen. The Washington Capitals legend is closing in on breaking the NHL scoring record of 894 career goals currently held by “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky.

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is already one of the most heralded players in NHL history. The legendary forward already has a ton of records on the NHL history books, but there's one more still to go that could put him in the pantheon of all-time greats.

In the third period of a Thursday night battle between the Washington Capitals and the Ottawa Senators, future NHL Hall of Famer inched closer to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record. “Alex Ovechkin scored on the PP and is now 19 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record,

Alex Ovechkin had only recorded one goal in his last five games played until Thursday night. "The Great Eight" came up clutch when the Washington Capitals needed him most with a third period tally to close the gap with the Ottawa Senators to 4-3.