Alex Ovechkin scores his 887th goal to lead the Capitals to a 5-1 win over the Sharks

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored his 887th career goal Saturday to move within eight of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record and the Washington Capitals beat the San Jose Sharks 5-1.

Ovechkin deflected a shot from Martin Fehervary past Georgi Romanov with 9:06 remaining in the third period. Romanov is the NHL-record 182nd goalie that Ovechkin has scored on.

The 39-year-old Russian star has 34 goals on the season. He remains on pace before the end of this season to pass Gretzky’s mark of 894 that long seemed unapproachable before the end of this season.

Ovechkin also had an assist on Dylan Strome's game-opening goal to help Washington win for the sixth time in seven games.

Aliaksei Protas, Taylor Raddysh and Trevor van Riemsdyk also scored for Washington. Logan Thompson made 19 saves.

Macklin Celebrini scored for San Jose.

Alexandar Georgiev allowed three goals on 17 shots before being replaced by Romanov after the first period.

Capitals: Washington bounced back from a 3-0 loss at Los Angeles on Thursday and improved to 18-4-1 following a loss this season.

Sharks: Two nights after beating fellow bottom-dweller Chicago 4-2, San Jose was outclassed against East-leading Washington. San Jose was outshot 17-3 in the first period.

Ovechkin found Strome alone streaking down the middle and Strome beat Georgiev to the glove side 7:33 into the game. It was Ovechkin's 776th career point on the road. He made it 777 with the goal and needs two more road points to pass Gordie Howe for the eighth most in NHL history.

The goal by van Riemsdyk came 40 seconds after the Sharks cut it to 3-1 in the third and ended his 145 game drought without a goal.

The Capitals host Detroit on Tuesday night The Sharks host Carolina on Thursday night.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

San Jose Sharks goaltender Georgi Romanov (31) blocks a shot by Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Washington Capitals center Aliaksei Protas, left, is congratulated by goaltender Logan Thompson (48) after scoring against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) fights with San Jose Sharks center Zack Ostapchuk (63) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin waits for a face off during the second period against the San Jose Sharks in an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) shoots at the goal against San Jose Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais (5) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin dives for the puck during the second period against the San Jose Sharks in an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

HAFJELL, Norway (AP) — World champion Loic Meillard won the season's penultimate men's World Cup slalom Sunday as the Swiss skier boosted his chances of taking the discipline title.

Meillard overcame a big mistake early in his final run and held on to his first-leg lead as he beat Atle Lie McGrath of Norway by 0.21 seconds. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen was 0.47 back in third.

“It was a wild second run with a few mistakes. I just wanted to fully attack, maybe even too much,” said Meillard, who also won Saturday’s giant slalom on the same hill. “It’s a dream for a tech skier to win both days, GS and slalom, and for it to happen this weekend is pretty amazing.”

Meillard's sole previous career World Cup victory in slalom came in Aspen, Colorado a year ago, though he took gold at the worlds in Austria in February.

Henrik Kristoffersen, who leads the discpline standings, won both the GS and the slalom at the previous tech weekend in Slovenia two weeks ago.

On Sunday, the Norwegian placed fifth and saw his advantage over Meillard reduced to 47 points with only the season-ending race remaining at the World Cup finals in Sun Valley, Idaho on March 27.

Kristoffersen will secure the title if he finishes third or better in that race, regardless of Meillard's result.

“It’s still a big gap,” Meillard said. “So, he has to fail it a little bit and I have to do something very special like today. So, it’s really a nice fight until the end.”

The only other racer left with a chance to win the season title is Clement Noel. The Olympic champion from France finished seventh and trails Kristoffersen by 86 points. A race win is worth 100 points.

Kristoffersen has won the slalom title three times in his career, most recently in 2022, but it would be the first career slalom globe for either Meillard or Noel.

Last year’s slalom champion, Manuel Feller, skied out in the first run, but the Austrian was already out of contention for the season title before the race.

Racing on a hill where he skied many times in his youth, Pinheiro Braathen earned his fifth podium result since taking a year off and returning to the circuit this season following a switch from the Norwegian to the Brazilian federation.

“I had so many training runs here, so many of my fundamentals come from here, Hafjell,” said Pinheiro Braathen, who is chasing Brazil’s first-ever triumph in a top-level ski race.

Hafjell hosted World Cup races for the first time since 2003.

Swiss star Marco Odermatt, who locked up the overall and giant slalom titles on Saturday, does not compete in slaloms.

The race wrapped up the regular World Cup season ahead of the finals for both men and women in Sun Valley, which open with the speed events next weekend.

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

Switzerland's Loic Meillard celebrates on the podium after winning an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Loic Meillard competes on his way to win an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Zenoni)

Switzerland's Loic Meillard, center, winner of an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, celebrates with second-placed Norway's Atle Lie McGrath, left, and third-placed Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, right, and Norway's Atle Lie McGrath look at Switzerland's Loic Meillard descending during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Loic Meillard, right, winner of an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, and third-placed Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen congratulate each other at the finish area, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Loic Meillard celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Austria's Manuel Feller competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

France's Clement Noel competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Loic Meillard competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)