Now, at age 39, Ovechkin is on the verge of becoming the NHL's all-time goals leader, and he can pass Gretzky's mark of 894 before the end of the season. The Capitals standout currently has 892 career goals after he scored his 39th of the season Wednesday, capitalizing on a 5-on-3 power play against the Hurricanes.

Five charts how close the Capitals Alex Ovechkin is to overtaking Wayne Gretzky's career goal scoring title and how both dominated the NHL.

Alex Ovechkin moved three goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record after scoring the 892nd of his career in the Washington Capitals’ game at the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night.

Alex Ovechkin moved four goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL record after scoring the 891st of his career in the Washington Capitals game against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.

The Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin is on the precipice of making history. With a game tonight versus the Boston Bruins, Ovi sits just five goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all time record of 895.

Alex Ovechkin needs four goals to break Wayne Gretzky's NHL career record. Follow along as the Washington Capitals play the Carolina Hurricanes:

Alex Ovechkin scored his 891st career goal to move within four of breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL record, helping the Washington Capitals defeat the host Boston Bruins 4-3 on Tuesday night.

The Capitals (47-17-9, 103 points) have lost three straight (0-2-1) after an 8-5 Sunday Buffalo Sabres, which marked the first game all season in which they allowed more than five goals. Still, Ovechkin had a three-point game which included scoring his 890th career goal,

Ovechkin recorded a power-play goal and an even-strength assist in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Bruins. Ovechkin is four goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time record, and he netted his 891st career goal -- and 38th of the season -- with a power-play tally late in the first period.