Ovechkin tours Oilers Hall of Fame, focused on catching Gretzky

The chase has been enjoyable for Ovechkin this season with Washington (32-10-5) leading the NHL with 69 points. The game in Edmonton is the first of a five-game road trip.

“Of course, it’s fun when you’re winning and your team is playing well,” Ovechkin said. “It kind of helps you up.”

Ovechkin missed 16 games after he fractured his left fibula at the Utah Hockey Club on Nov. 18. Since returning, he has eight points (six goals, two assists) in 13 games.

“It’s a gift from God,” Oilers forward Vasily Podkolzin said. “He can score, he can rip it and no matter how old he is, he’s still moving well. It’s great to have an opportunity to play against him.”

Podkolzin, like Ovechkin a native of Moscow, idolized him growing up and remembers fondly the first time he played against him.

“I was around 5 years old when he got into the League,” he said. “I’ve played against him two or three times. He’s even bigger on the ice with skates. It was pretty nice to meet him. We had a little conversation. He’s a good guy and one of the greatest players.”

Ovechkin’s ability to continue scoring at a high rate at this stage of his career is impressive, though he does not have a target of how many goals he would like to have at the end of it.

For now, the focus is on catching Gretzky.

“I’m 20, 21 goals (away), it’s hard to score in this league,” Ovechkin said. “You play against the best defensive players out there and maybe in one game, you maybe have two or three chances, and you have to use it, or maybe one chance. All five guys out there have to do the job.”

The Capitals surrounded Ovechkin with plenty of talent in the offseason. It’s helped them grow from a fringe Stanley Cup Playoff team swept by the New York Rangers in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round to a championship contender.

“You can see how many guys signed before the season, experienced guys but still young, and still hungry to win the games and go to the playoffs,” Ovechkin said. “The most important thing, I think, is that we have a great group of guys in the locker room. If something happens, we always try to stick together, and I think that’s why we’re successful right now.”