Fresh off his 29th career hat trick and 800th NHL goal, Alex Ovechkin (800-644-1,444 in 1,305 GP) looks to find the back of the net for the fifth straight game and tie Gordie Howe (801-1,049-1,850 in 1,767 GP) for second place on the League's all-time list.
* Howe, while appearing as a member of the Whalers, scored his 801st and final NHL goal against the Red Wings on April 6, 1980 - a franchise he spent 25 of his 26 seasons with. During his time with Detroit, Mr. Hockey played alongside Andre Pronovost from 1962-63 to 1964-65 - who assisted on five of the former's 801 goals and is the grandfather of Anthony Mantha, who collected the primary helper on Ovechkin's 800th career tally.
* Mantha's ties to Howe and the Red Wings run deeper than just Pronovost after the franchise selected the now-Capitals forward in the 2013 NHL Draft (No. 20). Click here to read more about how Mantha's assist connected Ovechkin's milestone to Howe, including his prediction prior to his captain's memorable performance in Chicago.
* Should Ovechkin tie Howe on Thursday, it would be his 13th career goal streak of at least five games and within two of his longest (7 GP from Feb. 10 - March 8, 2006). Only three players in NHL history have recorded 13 or more streaks of at least that length during their careers: Mario Lemieux (17x), Wayne Gretzky (16x) and Mike Gartner (13x).
* The Capitals captain (37 years, 89 days) would also become just the seventh different player in NHL history to register a five-game goal streak at age 37 or older (age based off end of streak). While a 39-year-old Brett Hull holds the longest such stretch (7 GP in 2003-04), a 37-year-old Howe also accomplished the feat (5 GP in 1965-66).
