ARLINGTON, Va. -- The number Alex Ovechkin wears on this back is also the number of goals the Washington Capitals left wing needs to break Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 894.
As much as he loves the No. 8, though, Ovechkin says the record is not something he thinks about away from the rink or even heading into the Capitals' next game against the Detroit Red Wings at Capital One Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, MNMT, SN360, TVAS).
"You're just focusing on different things," Ovechkin said Monday. "Tomorrow it's a new day. We're going to play against a good team fighting for the playoffs, so we concentrate on that."
Washington (44-15-8) returns home after winning twice during a three-game California road trip. Ovechkin did not score in the first two games of the trip before breaking through for his 887th NHL goal during the third period of a 5-1 win at the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
Ovechkin had four assists during the trip, so he was finding ways to contribute offensively, and even passed up a chance for an empty-net goal to feed Aliaksei Protas to complete his first NHL hat trick in a 7-4 victory at the Anaheim Ducks on March 10.
But there were times when the 39-year-old appeared to be pressing a little.
That seemed to be the case during a 3-0 loss at the Los Angeles Kings on March 13, when Ovechkin did not have a shot on goal for the first time since the season opener against the New Jersey Devils five months earlier, and was held without a shot attempt in the final two periods. There were also a couple of moments before he scored against the Sharks when Ovechkin mishandled the puck.