Alex Ovechkin buried his 30th goal of the season Tuesday night, reaching the benchmark for the 18th time and moving past Mike Gartner for the most 30-goal campaigns in league history.

The record-breaking tally was the 852nd of Ovechkin's career, moving him to within 42 of Wayne Gretzky's all-time mark.

Gartner congratulated Ovechkin on Tuesday's feat and wished him luck in his quest to break Gretzky's record.

The 38-year-old Capitals star has scored 22 of his 30 goals this season in the last 32 games.

Ovechkin has netted at least 30 in every 82-game campaign he's played. The only time he fell short was when he produced 24 over 45 contests in the abbreviated 2021 season.

The Russian sniper's goal Tuesday night held up as the winner in Washington's 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, a club that's also chasing an Eastern Conference playoff berth. The Capitals moved into a wild-card spot with the win.

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