WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin has scored his 893rd career goal to move one back of tying and two away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record.

Ovechkin beat Spencer Knight 3:52 into the Washington Capitals‘ game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night. He moved closer to making hockey history with Gretzky in attendance for the first time during the chase.

Scoring in a fourth consecutive game, Ovechkin reached 40 goals for a 14th time in 20 seasons, which is the most in league history. The Eastern Conference-leading Capitals have six games left in the regular season with a visit to the New York Islanders up next Sunday.