Ovechkin: Goal record 'kind of a long way' off

Alex Ovechkin got 31 goals closer to Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal-scoring record this season but is remaining levelheaded in his pursuit of 42 more tallies.

"I'm always saying the same thing: If I make it, it's good, but it's still 42 goals," Ovechkin said Tuesday, per NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "It's kind of a long way, but it's possible if you're going to be healthy."

Ovechkin endured an up-and-down season, scoring only eight goals in his first 43 games before helping the Washington Capitals reach the playoffs with 23 tallies in his final 36 contests. He set an NHL record with his 18th 30-goal campaign but failed to reach 40 over a full schedule for the first time since 2016-17.

Only two other Washington players reached the 20-goal mark this season, one of whom, Anthony Mantha, was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights before the deadline.

"There's a lot of pressure on (Ovechkin)," general manager Brian MacLellan said. "That he's expected to carry us offensively at 38 is probably not fair."

He added: "I think we need to add something in that area. We need to get a little more skill, a little more goals."

Ovechkin has scored 853 career goals. He has two more seasons on his current contract to surpass Gretzky's record of 894 goals.