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Whether hanging around the leftmost face-off circle, prowling around the crease or firing line-drives from the point, Alex Ovechkin has a knack for finding space to hurl pellets at opposition goaltenders.
More often than most, the Capitals' star's strikes find their target. They'll leap over and around weary sentries, nestling calmly into the top and bottom corners of the cage.
As of April 4, Ovechkin has whetted the net 892 times in his NHL career — two shy of Wayne Gretzky's record 894-goal mark. He could find himself all alone in NHL history before long — with a matchup against the Blackhawks doubling as a platform for him to snag a piece of NHL history for himself.
STREAM: Watch Capitals vs. Blackhawks LIVE on Fubo (free trial)
Ovechkin is arguably the sport's purest-ever goal-scorer. He'll look to flaunt his scoring exploits against Chicago, one of NHL's worst sides.
And with the contest taking place in the house Ovechkin so faithfully built – Capital One Arena, Washington's aptly-titled home — the time seems ripe for Ovechkin to leapfrog the Great One in the NHL' all-time scoring charts.
The Sporting News is tracking live updates from the Capitals' duel with the Blackhawks, a matchup that could have notable implications on Ovechkin's chase for the NHL's scoring record.
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Capitals vs. Blackhawks live score
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Did Alex Ovechkin score today?
- Goals:
- Assists:
- Points:
- Shots on goal:
Capitals vs. Blackhawks live updates, results, highlights from Alex Ovechkin goals record chase
This section will be updated closer to the game's 7 p.m. ET start time.
Capitals vs. Blackhawks start time
- Date: Friday, April 4
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
Washington and Chicago will tout with one another at 7 p.m. ET on Friday. The match will be held at Capital One Arena in Washington DC.
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- Revisiting Wayne Gretzky's once-'unbreakable' NHL scoring title
How to watch Alex Ovechkin goals chase today
- TV channels: NHL Network
- Live stream: Fubo
Friday's duel between the Capitals and Blackhawks will be broadcast nationally on NHL Network. Cord-cutters can find all the action on Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Washington Capitals schedule 2025
The Capitals have seven regular season games remaining. Just three of those matchups will take place at Capital One Arena, so Ovechkin's record chase could come to a close away from home. Washington ends its season with road duels with the Islanders (April 15, 8 p.m. ET) and the Penguins (April 17, 7 p.m. ET).
| Date | Matchup | Time (ET) |
| April 4 | vs. Blackhawks | 7 p.m. |
| April 6 | at Islanders | 12:30 p.m. |
| April 10 | vs. Hurricanes | 7:30 p.m. |
| April 12 | at Blue Jackets | 7 p.m. |
| April 13 | vs. Blue Jackets | 6 p.m. |
| April 15 | at Islanders | 8 p.m. |
| April 17 | at Penguins | 7 p.m. |
Most goals scored in NHL history
Ovechkin entered Friday's match two goals shy of Gretzky's record 894 strike mark. He's three goals away from breaking Gretzky's long-held record.
| Rank | Player | Goals |
| 1 | Wayne Gretzky | 894 |
| 2 | Alex Ovechkin | 892 |
| 3 | Gordie Howe | 801 |
| 4 | Jaromir Jagr | 766 |
| 5 | Brett Hull | 741 |
| 6 | Marcel Dionne | 731 |
| 7 | Phil Esposito | 717 |
| 8 | Mike Gartner | 708 |
| 9 | Mark Messier | 694 |
| 10 | Steve Yzerman | 692 |
Alex Ovechkin season stats 2024-25
Ovechkin entered his age-39 season needing 41 goals to match Gretzky's record mark and 42 to take the scoring record all for himself.
He's needed just 59 games to bring himself on the cusp of the milestone. Despite sustaining a broken leg partway through the season, Ovechkin has 39 goals as of April 4, tied for the third-best tally in the NHL. He's averaged 0.66 goals a game, the second-best tally of any player with at least 30 goals this season (only bested by Hart Trophy front-runner Leon Draisaitl).
With his recent scoring outburst, Ovechkin is on pace for his best goal-scoring campaign since 2021-22, when he bagged 50 snipes.
| 59 | 39 | 0.66 | 27 | 66 |
Alex Ovechkin goals count
With his latest strike against the Hurricanes on April 2, Ovechkin is up to 39 goals on the season, two short of Gretzky's record. Given his rate of scoring thus far, he's on pace to bag about 45 scores before the end of the season.
How close is Alex Ovechkin to breaking Wayne Gretzky's goals record?
Ovechkin is just three goals away from breaking Gretzky's all-time scoring mark. With a late-season flourish, he should be able to take his place atop hockey's goal-scoring mountaintop.
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