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.

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.

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.

Ovechkin was also taken up to Gretzky's restaurant, Studio 99 inside Rogers Place, where he posed with one of the many jerseys up on the wall. A memorabilia collector himself, Ovechkin owns a stick given to him by Gretzky when Washington won the Stanley Cup in 2018. It's one of his prized possessions.