Alexander Ovechkin's quest to break Wayne Gretzky's record hits another roadblock

It once seemed like a foregone conclusion that Alexander Ovechkin would break Wayne Gretzky's NHL goal scoring record. But as the games tick on and father time plays a bigger role, it now seems like Ovechkin may struggle to break the record. This season has been statistically the worst of Ovechkin's playing career.

In 39 games this season, Ovechkin only has eight goals putting him on pace for a career low. Today, the Washington Capitals announced that Ovechkin would be unable to play in today's matinee against the New York Rangers. The more games that Ovechkin misses, the more difficult it will be for him to eventually break the record.

In his career Ovechkin has missed very few games. So when he does fans take note. As Ovechkin continues to age his durability will continue to fall. Ovechkin turns 39 in September and has just two years remaining on his current NHL contract.

Ovechkin sits 64 goals behind Gretzky, but if he's unable to break 20 goals on the season, he will need at least four more seasons of that pace to come close to the record. Unfortunately for Ovechkin it feels like all the games missed due to COVID shortened seasons and the NHL lockouts could come back to haunt him.