The Capitals captain is on pace for 63 goals, which would move him past Wayne Gretzky and 900 goals this season.

Last year, it took until the All-Star break for Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin to manage eight goals on the season. This season, this upcoming All-Star break tells a different story, as he's on pace to break Wayne Gretzky's record around that time.

At 39, Ovechkin is the oldest player in NHL history to lead the league in goals, as he has 13 through 17 games so far. He's putting up elite totals and playing some of the best hockey of his career, all while proving that age is just a number. Right now, he's on pace to break Gretzky's record at home on Feb. 9 against Utah Hockey Club.

"I don't think there will ever be one like him ever again," Tom Wilson said. "He's the hungriest guy I've ever met when it comes to being great." 

There are quite a few things going into Ovechkin's success, though, as he chases down Gretzky.

First, his shot is just better. Ovechkin's always had a rocket, and his shot was never an area of concern, but this year, he's shooting with more confidence and accuracy. His shooting percentage of 21.7 percent is way above his career average of 13.

There's even more speed behind his shots. His average shot speed of 66.79 miles per hour is up from last season and ranks in the 96th percentile league-wide. The majority of his 60 shots on goal (96th percentile in the NHL) are between 70-80 MPH and are not to be taken lightly, either.

Ovechkin's shot depends on multiple factors, including time, space, strength and of course, the right stick specs, which have arguably played a major role in his success.

Not only that, but Ovechkin is also capitalizing on high-danger opportunities. The majority of his shots this season are coming from right around the net front, where he's getting to more and more often. And while he's still letting it rip from his office, he's finding more ways to score at both even strength and on the power play, and he's also more open to shooting on the right side as he continues to play left and right wing.

"He's focusing on getting himself into good spots. So part of that is his linemates but also part of it is him moving his feet, reading the play quickly, getting into a good F3 spot if he's going to shoot it from the slot," head coach Spencer Carbery said, adding, "The other part, I think, which is probably the area that I've worked with him the most on, is getting to the net and getting to the inside."

Of course, to get high-danger opportunities, you need to get to the high-danger areas, and that's another hallmark of Ovechkin's game this year. The captain is moving his feet and getting into those dirty areas, and he's even skating with more speed than he was last year. In fact, he's on pace to finish with more speed bursts over 20 MPH than he had all of last season, and his total skating distance so far ranks in the 67th percentile.

It also helps that the Capitals are just scoring more in general and producing more offense, leading the league in goals for per game (4.24). Ovechkin's top line with Dylan Strome — who has assisted on 11 of Ovechkin's 13 goals — and Aliaksei Protas ranks eighth among all forward lines in expected goals for (8.2), and at all strengths, Ovechkin is spending over 43 percent of his time in the offensive zone, an increase from last year.

Right now, Ovechkin is on pace for 63 goals, which would have him not only passing Gretzky, but passing 900 total NHL goals.

"It's gonna stay forever," Ovechkin said of hitting another milestone in Vegas.