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,

Ovechkin entered this season needing 42 goals to break Gretzky's record of 894 career goals, which has stood since 1999. The Washington captain has 23 goals this season, with 31 games left. This season, he moved into second place with 20 consecutive 20-goal seasons and set a record for the number of goalies he has scored against in his career.

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.

We're tracking Ovechkin's pursuit of Gretzky's goal record and trying to determine the game in which he's most likely to break the record.

Moscow, a cold December evening, the wind slicing through the Red Square like a sharpened blade. Inside the Kremlin, a file is slid across a dark mahogany desk.

Ovechkin scored his 22nd goal of the season to push his career total to 875. Gretzky scored 894 goals in the NHL.