Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin Reaches 850 Goals

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Justin Giampietro | Last updated 4/5/24

Alex Ovechkin has been making a dent in the NHL goal record of 894 set by Wayne Gretzky for a while now, but the Washington Capitals legend hit another huge milestone on April 5, 2024, against the Carolina Hurricanes. Scoring his 850th career goal, he is oh-so-close to breaking once-considered unbeatable history.

Alexander Ovechkin hits 8⃣5⃣0⃣!

He is closing in

: Ovechkin (28)
: Strome (37)
: van Riemsdyk (12) pic.twitter.com/QfY4PHBKdG
— The Hockey Writers (@TheHockeyWriter) April 5, 2024

Ovechkin now has 28 goals in 73 games this season, so that would put him on pace to beat Gretzky’s record in the 2025-26 season if he can more or less maintain that pace. Before the month of February, he had just nine goals on the season. He has drastically increased his output, so chances are growing that the goal record will be Ovechkins.

The Capitals, in the hunt for a playoff spot, have needed every bit of his output. Five teams in the Eastern Conference are separated by just two points, one of which is Washington. It is likely that just two of those teams will make the playoffs, so this goal helped them move closer to both history and a postseason spot.

Overall, Ovechkin has 61 points in his 73 contests, still producing at a great first-line rate. That is especially the case for a 38-year-old. With 1,546 career points, he could also reach the 1,600 mark by 2024-25. There’s a lot of history on the line for the career-long Capital.