Ovechkin was injured during Washington's win in Utah on Monday night

One of the biggest and, for many of us, most fun storylines of the NHL season has been Alex Ovechkin chasing history.

The 39-year-old is playing in his 20th NHL season and has been closing in on a record for years, many believed to be untouchable.

When the season began, Ovechkin had scored 853 goals during his amazing, Hall of Fame career.

That left him exactly 41 goals behind the all-time record held by The Great One, Wayne Gretzky.

Could he break the record this season? That seemed like the kind of thing that would be possible, but not likely.

Well, 18 games into his season, Ovechkin has already racked up 15 goals and now trails Gretzky’s mark by just 26 goals.

He’s been rolling of late, too, racking up five goals over his past two games and 13 in his last 11 outings.

Why does this matter to Panthers fans?

Ovechkin and the Capitals are set to be in Sunrise in just a few days, with Florida and Washington playing their first and only game in South Florida on Monday night.

The Cats and Caps face off in their two remaining games against one another from Capital One Arena in Washington D.C.

Unfortunately for the Panthers fans who were looking forward to seeing the Great Eight in person, it doesn’t look like he’ll be playing.

Ovechkin suffered a lower-body injury during the Capitals’ 6-2 win in Utah on Monday night, and on Tuesday the team announced that he was considered week-to-week due to the ailment.

Considering the amazing run he’s been on and how captivating it’s been for the hockey world at large to witness, the hope is that Ovechkin won’t be out very long.

His health will also be big for a Capitals team off to a great start this season.

They currently hold a 13-4-1 record and sit atop the Metropolitan Division, having won each of their past three games.

We’ll have to see how things play out with Ovechkin, but for now, he seems a longshot to play in either of the Caps games next week in the state of Florida. 

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