Ovechkin scores 892nd goal -- three away from Gretzky's NHL record
Ovechkin scored for a third straight game late in the second period. Washington had a two-man advantage on the power play and Ovechkin unleashed a one-timer from the left circle to move closer to Gretzky's record -- a mark once thought unapproachable.
It was the 39-year-old Russian's 39th goal of the season and the Capitals have seven games left in the regular-season for Ovechkin to continue the record chase.
"It's simply incredible, and it captures the imagination," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in an in-game interview on the Hurricanes' FanDuel television broadcast.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing," added Bettman, who was in attendance at Carolina's Lenovo Center arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Canadian great Gretzky has indicated that he, like Bettman, will travel to the Capitals' games as Ovechkin closes in on his record.
Gretzky scored his 894th goal playing for the New York Rangers against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden on March 29, 1999.
Ovechkin's pursuit of the mark has energized the Capitals, who were the first team this season to clinch a Stanley Cup playoff berth.
The Hurricanes punched their ticket to the playoffs with Wednesday's victory.