Will Alex Ovechkin Break Wayne Gretzky's NHL Goal Record Before 2024-2025 Regular Season's End?
Will Alex Ovechkin Break Wayne Gretzky's NHL Goal Record Before 2024-2025 Regular Season's End?
Alex Ovechkin is chasing Wayne Gretzky's historic 894-goal total and finds himself only three goals away from becoming the all-time goal scoring leader in the NHL. The 39-year-old star forward currently has 892 goals, meaning Ovechkin needs two goals to tie Gretzky's record and three to become the new record holder.
FanDuel Sportsbook is offering odds on Ovechkin's historic goal-scoring quest, featuring . With seven games left on the Washington Capitals' 2024-25 NHL regular season, there are a variety of different Ovechkin goal-scoring futures props available to bet on FanDuel.
NHL handicapper Matt MacKay is here to offer the best strategies to attack Ovechkin's goal-scoring futures props with the latest odds. Follow Matt's X account for more NHL betting insight and free picks during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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THE GR8 CHASE PROPS
FanDuel has an entire betting market dedicated to Alex Ovechkin's potential goal-scoring feat, called The GR8 Chase, in tribute to his jersey number while chasing Gretzky's record of 894 goals. This is where we'll spend time assessing some of the best and worst value in this futures market.
ALEX OVECHKIN TO SCORE 895TH CAREER GOAL DURING 2024-25 REGULAR SEASON (BREAKS GRETZKY'S RECORD)
Oddsmakers are very bullish on Ovechkin breaking Gretzky's record and scoring his 895th career goal before the 2024-25 NHL regular season ends. This means within the next seven games that the Capitals play, Ovechkin will need to score three more goals.
Opponents on the Capitals' remaining schedule starts with the lowly Chicago Blackhawks. Then, two games against the New York Islanders and two games against the Columbus Blue Jackets will be played. In-between these series, a home game against Carolina awaits, wrapping up with a road game against the Pittsburgh Penguins during Washington's season finale.
Bettors who place a wager on Yes should be prepared to lay some serious juice at -480 odds. There's a lot of value in fading Ovechkin at +320, although I wouldn't recommend more than half a unit on that side of this line, based on how confidently oddsmakers have priced 'Yes'.
ALEX OVECHKIN'S 894TH CAREER REGULAR SEASON GOAL - OVECHKIN TO SCORE HIS 894TH CAREER REGULAR SEASON GOAL IN 1487 REGULAR SEASON GAMES OR FEWER (WAYNE GRETZKY'S RECORD)
We've got an interesting prop here. Alex Ovechkin currently has 892 career goals. There's only one option in this market and it's 'Yes' at +130 odds.
This means Ovechkin must score two more goals within the next two games that Washington plays, since he's played 1.485 regular season games and this line specifies 1,487 regular season games. The Capitals play the reeling Blackhawks next, followed by the New York Islanders.
Chicago has allowed 18 goals during their four-game losing skid. Ovechkin could score twice in this game alone. The Islanders have been arguably worse on defense, with opponents scoring four-plus goals in six consecutive matchups.
At +130, I'd recommend placing a full unit bet on Ovechkin to score twice against these two underachieving teams.
TEAM ALEX OVECHKIN SCORES HIS 895TH CAREER REGULAR SEASON GOAL AGAINST DURING 2024-25 SEASON
This is a fun prop to bet if you're confident Ovechkin scores three more times during Washington's final seven games. For context, Ovechkin has scored four goals in the Capitals' last five games played.
Columbus has the shortest odds at +175, followed by the Islanders at +320, since Washington plays both of these teams twice. Carolina is +550, while Pittsburgh is +900. Chicago isn't an option despite being the next team that the Capitals face.
Based on the schedule, I'm predicting it will take until the final four games of the regular season for Ovechkin to score his record-setting 895th career goal. Sprinkle half a unit on the Blue Jackets at +175 and another half-unit on Pittsburgh during the regular season finale at a robust +900 odds.
WILL ALEX OVECHKIN'S 895TH CAREER REGULAR SEASON GOAL BE AN EMPTY NET GOAL?
Alex Ovechkin has scored 39 goals this season. Eight of these have been empty-net goals, second-most in the league in 2024-25.
Ovechkin has scored a goal in three straight games, including four of the last five. With a favorable schedule against porous defenses and bad goaltending, Washington should find itself with a few empty-net scenarios.
At +415, we're obligated to sprinkle half a unit on "Yes" to celebrate a nice 4-1 payout alongside Ovechkin. He'll most likely become the NHL's new goal-scoring leader before the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.
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Matt is an avid writer, editor, and researcher. He enjoys analyzing the game within the game which is fantasy sports and sports betting. Music is another constant in his daily life. Matt loves spending time with his wife and three pets. He likes to read, listen to podcasts, and is constantly motivated to create the most accurate and engaging content in the sports betting industry.