Here's An Incredible Stat As Alex Ovechkin Closes In On NHl Scoring Record

Alex Ovechkin is now just three goals from passing Wayne Gretzky to top the NHL's all-time goal-scoring list, and as the Washington Capitals schedule winds down to just seven games, it's looking more and more like he'll hit the mark this season.

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Ovechkin pulled within a hat trick of the record Wednesday night in a bloodbath in multiple senses against the Carolina Hurricanes.

That was the Caps' only goal of the evening in what ended up being a 5-1 win for the Canes.

Of course, this story is heavily focused on numbers, and a wild stat popped up on social media after the game.

That's right, kids. The Great One appeared in 1,487 career games and potted 894 goals.

As for the Great Eight, he's at 1485 games and 892 goals.

That means the two greatest goal-scorers in NHL history scored around the same clip throughout their careers.

Of course, it's important to note that they played in very different eras. The early part of Gretzky's career came at a time when point totals were often higher, with Gretzky himself logging over 200 points in three straight seasons. However, Gretzky's numbers tapered off later in his career, the tail end of which was spent playing in the "Dead Puck" era of the 1990s and 2000s, when scoring was much lower.

Ovechkin, on the other hand, has played his entire career in the Post-Lockout era, which came with some changes to the game meant to increase offense in the wake of the Dead Puck era. It became harder for players to defend without getting a penalty, the two-line pass was eliminated, and the trapezoid behind the net was added to handcuff goalies who were good at moving the puck (*cough*Martin Brodeur*cough*).

We'll see if the trend continues, but two goals in two games to match Gretzky exactly is certainly not too much to ask of Ovechkin.