Ovechkin’s absence has paused his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record. With 15 goals in 18 games this season, Ovechkin (868 career goals) is just 27 shy of surpassing Gretzky’s 894-goal mark.

Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin is already hitting the ice amid his continuing recovery from an injury.

The 39-year-old was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 20 and was expected to miss four to six weeks recovering at that point.