The goal, which moved Ovechkin within five of breaking Wayne Gretzky ’s NHL record of 894, gave the Washington Capitals some hope of a third-period comeback, but it ultimately fell short in a sloppy 8-5 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at Capital One Arena.

Ovechkin tallied a goal, dished out two assists and fired three shots on net in Sunday's 8-5 loss to Buffalo.

Ovechkin, 39, was drafted by the Capitals at No. 1 overall in 2004. He has played in 1,478 games in 20 seasons, earning the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's top scorer nine times. He already owns the NHL record for power play goals (321) and shots on ...

For Alex Ovechkin, scoring the 890th goal of his career wasn't such a sweet moment; in fact, moving five goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record didn't matter much to the 39-year-old after an 8-5 loss at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres.

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is chasing Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal record. Can he break it this season?

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is closing in on the NHL goals record of 894 held by Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin has 889 goals and needs five to tie and six to break the record.