WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin moved another step closer to breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record by scoring on Marc-Andre Fleury again.
The Washington Capitals captain scored his 871st goal by beating Fleury on a power play in the second period against Minnesota on Thursday night.
Ovechkin has scored on Fleury 28 times in 47 games against him over the past two decades, with a vast majority of them coming when “Flower” played for the rival Pittsburgh Penguins. That’s by far the most of the record-tying 178 different goaltenders Ovechkin has scored on.
Beating Fleury put Ovechkin 24 away from passing Gretzky’s mark of 894 goals that was once considered unapproachable. The 39-year-old winger has 18 goals this season and three in four since returning from a broken left fibula and is on pace to get to 895 and possibly beyond this spring.
With Fleury playing his final season in the league, this could be Ovechkin’s final goal against him, though the Capitals also visit the Wild on March 27. The only active netminder close on Ovechkin’s list is fellow Russian Sergei Bobrovsky at 16.
Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist is second behind Fleury at 24 and Carey Price third at 22.
