The GR8ness continues, and history is within reach for one of the best players of all time.

On Saturday, in a game against the San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin scored the 887th goal of his NHL career. His two-point performance powered the team to a 5-1 victory.

The goal came in a more conventional manner than he scored no. 886, which was another empty-netter, tipped a Martin Fehervary shot through San Jose netminder Georgi Romanov for his 34th goal of the season in his 51st game of the season.

With the goal, Ovi is now just seven goals away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s record 894 career goals. He could be closer to Gretzky’s record, if not already passed it, had he suffered a lower-body injury earlier this season that forced him to miss considerable time.

It was Ovechkin’s first goal in three games. The 39-year-old hadn’t gone two games without finding the back of the net since he went goal-less in the two games around the 4 Nations Face-Off. Since the break, the Russian winger has scored eight goals in the 12 games since the league-wide pause.

With the Caps having just 15 games before the end of the regular season, Ovechkin has to score a little over a goal every other game in order to break the record this year.

In 1,477 career games, Ovechkin has registered 718 assists and 1,604 points. He has won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy nine times, scoring 50 or more goals on nine occasions, and scoring a career-high 65 goals during the 2007-08 campaign.

The Capitals (44-15-8) remain atop the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference. Washington is currently tied with the Winnipeg Jets for the best record in the NHL.