Alex Ovechkin’s shot at hockey’s most hallowed record is fading fast. Why?

The longtime Capitals star entered the season just 72 goals shy of Wayne Gretzky's storied career mark. But a ongoing scoring slump threatens to keep the lofty milestone out of reach

On 7 December, Alex Ovechkin notched his 1,500th point of his career - an assist during a 5-4 loss to Dallas. Ovechkin is just the 16th player in NHL history, and one of only two active players, to have hit the milestone. That other player is Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby. Ovechkin and Crosby, perennial rivals since they were drafted first overall consecutively in 2004 and 2005, have tracked nearly identical points-earning paths throughout their careers, differing only in how they accumulated them. Crosby's playmaking has given him 966 assists and 567 goals. For Ovechkin, the points combo was always the reverse of Crosby's: 675 assists and 827 goals.