Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is a future Hall of Famer, and will go down as one of the greatest scorers we've ever seen. In fact, the Caps sniper is only 13 goals away from Wayne Gretzky's goal record after scoring three goals on Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers.
Unlike Oilers star Connor McDavid, who played in the 4 Nations Face-Off for Canada and eventually won the whole damn thing with the puck on his stick, Ovechkin and the Caps had extra time to rest, which really came in handy in back-to-back wins over the Pittsburgh Penguins and now Edmonton.
With their victory over the Oilers, not only are the Capitals far and away the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but they are also frontrunners for the Presidents Cup.
Who has the most hat tricks in NHL history?
While Alex Ovechkin has 32 career hat tricks following Sunday's game, he does not have the most games with three or more goals career. No, that honor still belongs to Gretzky, who has 50 to his name. Gretzky is 10 clear of second place, which belongs to Mario Lemieux. Mike Bossy had 39 in his illustrious career as well.
Ovechkin will likely catch Gretzky, if not this season then next. However, while Ovechkin will be the league's all-time leading goal scorer, it's tough to argue that he is a better overall player than Gretzky. Gretzky is pound-for-pound the best hockey player in the history of the NHL.
When will Alex Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky's goal record?
Alex Ovechkin scores about .6 goals per game over the course of his career. Assuming that ratio continues through the rest of his career, Ovi should secure the record-breaking goal in a little over 22 games. The Capitals have a four-game stretch at the end of the season which includes games against the Blue Jackets and Penguins. If Ovechkin is to break Gretzky's record this season, it'll have to happen by April 17.
If I had to guess, Ovechkin will enter the Capitals final game of the season against the Pens with a chance to break Gretzky's record. However, the Caps will have little else to play for at that point in the season, assuming they continue at their current pace. Postseason statistics will not help Ovechkin in his pursuit of greatness, so if he cannot score 13 more goals before the end of the season, he will have to wait another year.