The great chase resumes on Saturday night.
Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin is officially set to make his return to chasing Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He comes back to action from a fractured fibula injury that kept him sidelines for 16 games.
Ovechkin suffered the injury in a shin-to-shin collision on Nov. 18 with Utah Hockey Club defenseman Jamie McBain. He had notched both goal No. 14 and 15 in the game, which had propelled him to being leading the NHL in scoring at 39-years-old.
WASH coach Spencer Carbery says Alexander Ovechkin returns tonight
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 28, 2024Ovechkin was well on pace to exceed Gretzky's 894 career goals this season with an estimated time to be in February before his leg injury.
Now, things get a bit more challenging if Ovechkin plans to make history in 2024-25.
He currently stands at 868 career goals, leaving him with 27 to go in order to slide into claiming the title of hockey's all-time highest scoring player.
Ovechkin has scored against every franchise he's ever faced in the NHL at one point or another. He has 44 career goals against the Maple Leafs, which is tied for the fifth amount against any opponent.
He's scored the most against the Winnipeg Jets, who were the Atlanta Thrashers up until 2011-12, with 55 goals.
The Capitals have surged back into competitive territory in the wake of their fabled captain's legendary pursuits. After making the playoffs as the worst statistical team to do so in 33 years last season, Washington is perched in second place of the crowded Metropolitan Division and has even gone 10-5-1 in Ovechkin's stead.
What will aid Ovechkin's chase is the improvement in the power play, which he already leads the sport's history with at 316. The three-time MVP is known for setting up "in his office," which is where he parks himself at the top of the left circle as droves of fellow Capitals have fed him one-timer shots through his 20-year career.
The Capitals power-play unit has increased by only one percent since last season (including the 16 games Ovechkin has been absent for).
Though the man advantage is Ovechkin's bread and butter, the Capitals' progression in the NHL standings is primarily thanks to their stronger five-on-five play this year. Washington is ranked No. 5 overall in expected goals rate at five-on-five, as per Moneypuck.
Ovechkin is the No. 2 player overall in expected goals per 60 minutes in all situations. So whether it be on the power play or not, it's still in the realm of possibility for Ovechkin to bank another 27 goals this season, especially with the Capitals primed to make the playoffs.
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