Predicting which game Alex Ovechkin will break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record

The Washington Capitals are closing in on the top playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but as the regular season enters the home stretch, every NHL fan's focus is on one player: Alexander Ovechkin.

"The Great Eight," as he's called, is in the final countdown of his chase for Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record. On Saturday, Ovechkin scored career goal No. 887 against the San Jose Sharks, leaving him just eight away from passing Gretzky (894).

Ovechkin, 39, probably would've already broken Gretzky's record by now if he hadn't suffered a broken leg on Nov. 18 against the Utah Hockey Club. He was forced to miss 16 games but since returning, he's scored 19 goals in 33 contests which makes this impending achievement all the more incredible to witness.

Washington has 15 games remaining and Ovechkin will be looking to end his chase for immortality as soon as possible so he and his teammates can shift their focus on trying to lift the Stanley Cup for the second time in franchise history.

When will Alex Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record?

For fans aiming to potentially witness Ovechkin's history-making moment in person (if money is no object) or catch it on television, here's when the math says he's most likely to do it.

The Russian star is currently on a .576 goals-per-game pace, which means he has to roughly score once every other game to hit goal No. 895 by the end of the regular season (April 17 vs. Pittsburgh).

Though if history is any indicator, once Ovechkin gets close to a career milestone (within single digits) he tends to go pedal to the metal so he can hit it as soon as possible. He's recorded five multi-goal games this season, including two hat-tricks, and he's likely to have at least one more across the final month of action.

According to Monumental Sports producer Shaun Salehi, Ovechkin's goal on Saturday against San Jose has him on pace to crack Gretzky's legendary mark on April 13 vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets — Washington's final home game.

That's as good a guess as any at this point, considering Washington will have locked up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference by then and Ovechkin could earn a couple games of rest ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs if he catches Gretzky by then.