Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin needs three goals to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal record.
How has he gotten so close? The answer isn't a big disparity in empty-net goals.
Ovechkin has eight empty-netters this season and an NHL-record 65 in his career, but he's not too far ahead of Gretzky in that category. The Great One had 56 in his career and is No. 2 all-time after Ovechkin passed him last season.
Coach Spencer Carbery has deployed Ovechkin when the other team pulls its goalie for an extra skater, even though the winger doesn't play when the Capitals are a man short while killing penalties. He noted that many teams use high-skilled offensive players in 5-on-6 situations.
"They know where the next play is and where the puck is going, and that’s what you see from (Ovechkin) constantly," Carbery told reporters earlier this season. "He’s reading where the next puck is going."
Ovechkin has a big lead on Gretzky in overtime and power-play goals while Gretzky leads in short-handed and even-strength goals.
Comparing Ovechkin and Gretzky on types of goals:
Alex Ovechkin empty-net goals
Ovechkin has 65 career empty-net goals, making up 7.3% of his 892 career goals.
Former Capitals coach Peter Laviolette also used him in empty-net situations and he scored nine empty-netters in 2021-22 during a 50-goal season. He had three the following season and six last season.
This season, Ovechkin had two empty-netters before he broke his leg in November and scored an empty-netter in his Dec. 28 return. He ...
