WASHINGTON (AP) — Nine games into the game Washington Capitals season, Alex Ovechkin is scoring at a rate that would put him Past Wayne Gretzky as soon as this spring.

Ovechkin scored his 858th career goal Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens, putting him 37 shy of breaking Gretzky’s NHL record before the end of this season. He entered this season 42 years away from breaking a mark that for a long time seemed unattainable.

“He was fantastic,” said teammate Aliaksei Protas, who scored a goal assisted by Ovechkin. in a 6-3 victory. “The way he celebrates, you feel like it’s his first goal in the NHL, when you know he’s chasing one of the unreal records.”

Ovechkin, 39, has already scored five this season and continues to rack up goals like no one at this age in hockey history.

“You see the look in their eyes, you just feel happy to be there, celebrating like a child,” Protas said. “It’s special. That’s what makes him an incredible player and scorer, that’s for sure. “That’s how hungry he is to score.”

Ovechkin turned Montreal’s Cayden Primeau into the 176th different goalkeeper has scored. He’s on pace for his 19th 30-goal season, and his 18 were already the most of anyone in NHL history.

After his three-point game against the Canadiens, Ovechkin credited Protas and center Dylan Strome for making it easier for him to fill the net.

“You can see empty nets, you know?” Ovechkin said. “(Strome and Protas) find me there and I almost miss it too.”

Ovechkin and the Capitals are off to their best start in nearly a decade, winning seven of their first nine games for the first time since 2015-16.

“Right now we’re feeling funny,” Ovechkin said. “We support each other. When you win the games, the kind of atmosphere is always the same between the coaches and the players. I hope it continues like this, but it doesn’t matter what happens because it’s a long season. Obviously there will be ups and downs, so we have to stick together no matter what.”

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