Alex Ovechkin nets goal No. 895, breaks Wayne Gretzky's record

ELMONT, N.Y. -- Alex Ovechkin scored his career 895th goal on Sunday, breaking the record held by Wayne Gretzky for 31 years.

Ovechkin reached the milestone on a power play at the 7:26 mark of the second quarter against the New York Islanders. Gretzky and his wife, Janet Jones, were on hand to watch the record-setter.

The milestone goal capped an impressive sprint to the record by Ovechkin, who began the season 41 shy of Gretzky after scoring 31 goals in 2023-24 -- his fewest in a full 82-game season.

Ovechkin scored just two goals in his first seven games this season but collected 13 in his next 11 games before suffering a broken leg that sidelined him for almost six weeks.

Ovechkin scored in his first two games following his return Dec. 28. The record-breaker Sunday extended his goal-scoring streak to five contests and was his sixth goal in that span. He tied the record with a pair of goals when Washington beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 on Friday.

Ovechkin's historic goal ended Gretzky's reign as the NHL's top goal-scorer and began what could be a similarly long tenure atop the all-time list. Sidney Crosby, who is 37 years old and entered the league with Ovechkin in 2005, ranks second behind Ovechkin among active players with 622 goals entering Sunday.

Only five players in their 20s -- Leon Draisaitl (399 goals entering Sunday), Auston Matthews (398 goals), David Pastrnak (388 goals), Nathan MacKinnon (367 goals) and Connor McDavid (361 goals) -- are within 50 of reaching the 400-goal milestone.

--Jerry Beach, Field Level Media