This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

Gretzky scored 51 goals that season -- the first of his nine 50-goal seasons, an NHL record he shares with Ovechkin and Mike ...

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is one of the most heralded players in NHL history. The legendary forward already has ...

Alexander Ovechkin is now second in NHL history with 879 goals, trailing only the Great One himself Wayne Gretzky of Canada, who had 894 goals in his NHL career ...

Ovechkin scored with 53 seconds remaining in the first period, taking a centering pass from Martin Fehervary and flicking it ...

Ovechkin has scored on 179 goaltenders and counting, breaking Jagr's record by beating Leevi Merilainen of the Senators for No. 874. Ovechkin has 177 multi-goal games, second to Gretzky (189).

SEATTLE (AP) — Alex Ovechkin moved within 20 goals of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record with an empty-netter, helping the Washington Capitals beat the Seattle Kraken 3-0 on Thursday night ...

OTTAWA, Ontario — Alex Ovechkin got one step closer to Wayne Gretzky and made more NHL history on Thursday night. Washington’s legendary No. 8 scored with 1:53 left in overtime to give the ...

OTTAWA — Of course it was Alex Ovechkin. The Washington Capitals spent most of Thursday’s game at Canadian Tire Centre going nowhere, generating minimal offense against the Ottawa Senators and ...

Alex Ovechkin continues to gain ground on Wayne Gretzky in his pursuit of The Great One's all-time scoring record. The 39-year-old netted his 21st goal of the season during overtime on Thursday ...

Alex Ovechkin simply can't be stopped. The Washington Capitals captain got back to doing what he does best on Thursday, scoring the overtime winner for a 1-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators and ...

James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL. Alexander Ovechkin’s pursuit of The Great One is approaching its final stage.