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Capitals' Alex Ovechkin chasing Wayne Gretzky record: Where does he stand?

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is ahead of the pace he needs to pass all-time goal leader Wayne Gretzky and break a record that was once thought unbreakable.

Ovechkin, who had several long droughts before the All-Star break, has 18 goals in his last 26 games. That includes a recent stretch of eight goals in his last five games, though he has been held without a goal his last two games.

Gretzky, who played from 1979-99, leads the way with 894 regular-season NHL goals. Ovechkin, 38, who passed Gordie Howe last season to move into second place, has 848 goals and needs 47 more for the record. He has two years left on his contract after this season.

Here's where he stands in his chase of Gretzky's goal record:

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Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin is second on the all-time goal-scoring list.
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin is second on the all-time goal-scoring list.

How many goals does Alex Ovechkin have this season?

Ovechkin has 26 goals and is on pace for about 30. He needed to average 24 goals a season during his current contract to tie Gretzky's record. His pace had been for 14 before the All-Star break.

How close is Alex Ovechkin to Wayne Gretzky?

Ovechkin, with 848 career goals, needs 47 goals to break Gretzky's record.

What did Alex Ovechkin do in the Capitals' last game?

March 28: He had no goals on two shots in a 5-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite the loss, the Capitals held onto the second wild-card spot with a game in hand. Washington is one point behind the third-place Philadelphia Flyers in the Metropolitan Division and has two games in hand.

How is Alex Ovechkin's season going?

Much better now than before the All-Star break, when he had an uncharacteristically slow start. Ovechkin had no shots on goal in consecutive games for the first time in his career and only two goals in his first 12 games. He scored three goals over his next three games before going through a career-worst 14-game drought. He went another three games without a goal before scoring in back-to-back games on Dec. 30 and Jan. 2. He had no goals in the eight games surrounding a three-game injury absence.

Ovechkin then got on a roll. He scored on Jan. 27 during the Capitals' last game before the All-Star break and scored in six of the first seven games after the break. But he was held to two goals over 11 games, then had eight goals in his next five games before being shut out in his last two games. He's second on the Capitals with 58 points in 69 games and he has moved past Joe Thornton for 13th place in career points (1,543).

When does Alex Ovechkin play next?

The Capitals next play on March 30 against the Boston Bruins. Ovechkin has 29 goals in 65 career games vs. the Bruins, including a goal and an assist in his lone game against them this season.

Who are the NHL's top all-time goal scorers?

The top 20 NHL all-time goal scorers have all topped 600 goals. All are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, except Ovechkin and Jaromir Jagr, who has suited up this season in the Czech Republic.

1. Wayne Gretzky,  894 goals in 1,487 games

2. Alex Ovechkin, 848 goals in 1,416 games

3. Gordie Howe, 801 goals in 1,767 games

4. Jaromir Jagr, 766 goals in 1,733 games

5. Brett Hull, 741 goals in 1,269 games

6. Marcel Dionne, 731 in 1,348 games

7. Phil Esposito, 717 goals in 1,282 games

8. Mike Gartner, 708 goals in 1,432 games

9. Mark Messier, 694 goals in 1,756 games

10. Steve Yzerman, 692 goals in 1,514 games

11. Mario Lemieux, 690 goals in 915 games

12. Teemu Selanne, 684 goals in 1,451 games

13. Luc Robitaille, 668 goals in 1,431 games

14. Brendan Shanahan, 656 goals in 1,524 games

15. Dave Andreychuk, 640 goals in 1,639 games

16. Jarome Iginla, 625 goals in 1,554 games

17. Joe Sakic, 625 goals in 1,378 games

18. Bobby Hull, 610 goals in 1,063 games

19. Dino Ciccarelli, 608 goals in 1,232 games

20. Jari Kurri, 601 goals in 1,251 games

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alex Ovechkin Wayne Gretzky goal record chase: Where he stands