Alex Ovechkin scored the 884th goal of his NHL career to move 10 away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s record. The Washington Capitals captain beat fellow Russian Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning with four minutes left in the third period on Saturday.

Alex Ovechkin scored the 884th goal of his NHL career late in the Washington Capitals’ 3-1 loss to the red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, moving 10 away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s record. Ovechkin beat fellow Russian Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning with four minutes left in the third period after getting stopped twice by him earlier.

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is closing in on the NHL goals record of 894 held by Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin has 884 goals and needs 10 to tie and 11 to break the record.

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WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin scored his 884th NHL goal, but the Tampa Bay Lightning extended their season-high winning streak to eight games with a 3-1 victory against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Saturday.

While in the Hall of Fame’s famed Stick Storage Centre, which holds more than 4,000 sticks, the oldest dating to 1875, Ovechkin was fascinated with an old, wooden one with a long flat blade. It belonged to Maurice Richard, who held the NHL goal record with 544 before Howe passed him on Nov. 10, 1963.

The Capitals lost their third game in a row for the first time all season despite Ovechkin scoring his 884th career goal.