Alex Ovechkin 5 goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record after scoring vs. Sabres (2025)

Alex Ovechkin scored in the third period on Sunday afternoon against the Buffalo Sabres, putting him another step closer to becoming the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer.

It was career goal No. 890 for Ovechkin. The Washington Capitals star is now only five goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky’s 894 for the most in NHL history.

The Capitals trailed by three goals when Ovechkin, stationed in front of the net, tipped a point shot from Rasmus Sandin past Buffalo goalie James Reimer. It was Ovechkin’s 42nd goal in 67 career games against the Sabres.

You've just got to witness Alex Ovechkin score his 890th career goal pic.twitter.com/XsynA88aFX

— x – Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 30, 2025

Ovechkin also had two assists in the Capitals’ 8-5 loss for his eighth three-point game of the season. He now has 37 goals and 26 assists in 57 games.

Ovechkin wasn’t in much of a mood to discuss the goal. When asked about it, he instead pivoted to the team’s three-game losing streak (0-2-1). The Capitals remain clearly the top team in the Eastern Conference but have fallen behind the Winnipeg Jets in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy.

“Right now, we lost three in a row,” he said. “It’s a good thing it’s happening right now and not in the playoffs. We just have to bounce back and find our way to win the games.”

Capitals coach Spencer Carbery mixed up his top two lines midway through the game, putting Ovechkin with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Anthony Beauvillier after he started with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas.

“I didn’t like any of our top six again tonight,” Carbery said. “Those two lines over the last two games, we’ve been OK, but no production from them. They get the late goal in Winnipeg (from Ovechkin on March 25) but it just hasn’t looked great. Their underlying numbers haven’t been great the last two games. Wasn’t great really tonight so felt like I needed to make a change right away.”

Still, teammates remain impressed. Protas, whose short-handed third-period goal was his 30th of the season, said of Ovechkin’s goal No. 890: “I don’t think I’ll ever get that in NHL 2025 (the video game). … He’s chasing something special. He helped us to get closer in that game, but a couple mistakes cost us.”

Ovechkin’s longevity may be his most impressive attribute. Nearing 40 years old, in his 20th NHL season, he remains one of the best scorers in hockey. His 37 goals this season are tied with Kyle Connor for fourth place in the league.

“When you get older you try not to run around (as much),” Ovechkin told reporters this week. “I try to find the right spots. Obviously there are five players out there so everyone has to be on the same page.”

Excluding the shortened 2020-21 season, Ovechkin has reached the 30-goal mark in his last seven seasons. He hasn’t faded as this season has gone on, either. The Washington captain already has seven goals in the month of March. His goal against the San Jose Sharks on March 15 was his 158th career March goal, passing Gretzky for the most ever in a single month. He has since added three more goals to extend his record.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, a former NHL forward and a contemporary of Gretzky, said before Sunday’s game, “Wayne just did it a different way. Ovie does it with pure strength and an unbelievable shot. Wayne has got an unbelievable shot, too, but kind of a different type of player.”

The 39-year-old hasn’t lost his physicality, either. Ovechkin already had 98 hits this season going into Sunday’s game. Outside of the shortened 2020-21 season, he has recorded at least 100 hits in every season of his career, and said he believes the physical side of his game is necessary to keep the goals flowing.

“Sometimes you just have to make a wake-up call for yourself,” Ovechkin said when asked about the hits. “It’s part of my game, and if not me, someone else is going to make the hit.”

With nine games remaining in the regular season, and Ovechkin averaging 0.65 goals per game, he is on pace to break Gretzky’s all-time goals record with only one game to spare. Here’s how he has fared in his career against each of his remaining opponents:

While time is running out, oddsmakers at BetMGM still expect Ovechkin to break the record this season. He is currently a minus-120 favorite to score goal No. 895 at some point over the next nine games.

The most likely opponent for the record-breaking goal is Columbus at 3-to-1 odds. That makes sense considering the Capitals face the Blue Jackets on back-to-back nights, on April 12 and 13. The next-best odds are for Ovechkin to break the record against the Islanders (5-to-1), whom the Capitals also face twice.

(Photo: Amber Searls / Getty Images)