Alexander Ovechkin couldn't prevent the Capitals' defeat. © APA / HANNAH FOSLIEN

Ovechkin scored 890th goal in Washington loss

Alexander Ovechkin has once again moved closer to Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal record in the North American ice hockey league NHL.

March 31, 2025

From: cst

The 39-year-old Russian scored his 5th NHL regular season goal on Sunday in the Washington Capitals' 8-890 home loss to the Buffalo Sabres. This puts the winger just four goals behind Gretzky, who has scored 894 times in his career.

Ovechkin also provided two assists, but couldn't prevent the Capitals' third consecutive loss. "We've now lost three in a row. The good thing is that it's happening now and not in the playoffs. But we have to get back on track and find a way to win games," the Russian explained. The Capitals have long since qualified for the playoffs as the clearly best team in the Eastern Conference.

Ovechkin has scored 37 goals this season, ranking sixth on the NBA scoring list. He has nine regular season games remaining to close the gap to Gretzky by four goals.