Ovechkin scores No. 891. He needs 3 to tie Gretzky and 4 to pass him

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin is a hat trick away.

The Washington Capitals forward scored goal No. 891 of his career on Tuesday night, leaving him three away from tying Wayne Gretzky's NHL record and four from becoming the league's all-time leading goal-scorer.

Only a missed empty netter in the final minutes of the Capitals' 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins kept Ovechkin from getting even closer.

“It’s getting close,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. “You can feel it. You can definitely feel it."

"If that empty netter ... ” he said, his words trailing off as he broke into a smile. “Yeah, it’s getting close.”

A three-time NHL MVP who has led the league in goals nine times, Ovechkin missed six weeks this fall with a broken left leg but has scored 12 goals in his last 18 games to get back on a record-breaking pace. He has 38 goals in 58 games, a rate that would put him over the top in the Capitals penultimate game of the regular season on April 15 at the New York Islanders.

“I go back to when he was injured and out for a while. When that happened, everyone was kind of thinking to themselves whether or not it was going to be possible,” goalie Charlie Lindgren said.

“But anything’s possible with Alex Ovechkin. We’ve seen that this far," Lindgren said. "We’ve got eight games to go, and the best thing about it is it doesn’t feel like there’s any pressure at all. And the team’s enjoying it.”

Washington trailed 1-0 with about four minutes left in the first period when John Carlson passed the puck toward the net and Dylan Strome redirected it across the crease. Ovechkin easily pushed into the open half of the net for power-play goal No. 322 — already an NHL record. Ovechkin pumped both arms before joining his teammates in a celebratory hug. Afterward, he downplayed the importance of the goal.

“A goal is a goal,” he said. “It was a great play by Stromer and Carly.”

The Boston crowd gave a mixed cheer for the visiting Capitals. The Bruins, who lost their ninth straight game, have already fired their coach and are likely to miss the playoffs for the first since 2016, so many fans — more than a few of them in Ovechkin jerseys — were likely there to see history in progress.

Ovechkin had a pretty good chance at No. 892 with about a minute left when he collected a puck near the Bruins blue line, spun and fired far wide of the empty net. Instead, he finished the night with 38 goals this season — still on track to reach 40 for a 14th time, also the most in league history

“He’s one of a kind and it’s fun to see him get some goals, for sure,” said Washington forward Ryan Leonard, who was playing for Boston College on Sunday night and made his NHL debut as Ovechkin's teammate on Tuesday.

“If you had told me this a couple of years ago, it just wouldn’t be real," he said. "Honestly, I really don’t know what to say to that. It’s just really cool and just trying to embrace the moment."

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Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun (6) falls to the ice chaseing the puck with Boston Bruins center Patrick Brown (38) during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Washington Capitals left wing Pierre-Luc Dubois, left, and goaltender Charlie Lindgren react after defeating the Boston Bruins in an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Washington Capitals right wing Ryan Leonard (9) comes up short on a goal as Boston Bruins defenseman Ian Mitchell (14) and goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) defend the net during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Washington Capitals newly acquired right wing Ryan Leonard, left, and left wing Alex Ovechkin, right, chat during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) reacts after scoring a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) hits the puck past Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) to score during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) shoots during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

U.S. egg prices increased again last month to reach a new record-high of $6.23 per dozen despite President Donald Trump’s predictions, a drop in wholesale prices and no egg farms having bird flu outbreaks.

The increase reported Thursday in the Consumer Price Index means consumers and businesses that rely on eggs should not anticipate immediate relief. Demand for eggs is typically elevated until after Easter, which falls on April 20.

Industry experts were expecting the index to reflect a drop in retail egg prices because wholesale egg prices dropped significantly in March. University of Arkansas agricultural economist Jada Thompson said the wholesale prices did not start dropping until mid-March, so there may not have been enough time for the average price for the month to decline even if prices stared to fall at the end of the month. And grocery stores may not have immediately passed on the lower prices.

Bird flu outbreaks were cited as the major cause of price spikes in January and February after more than 30 million egg-laying chickens were killed to prevent the spread of the disease. Only 2.1 million birds were slaughtered in March and none of them were on egg farms

The farms that had fall outbreaks have been working to resume egg production after sanitizing their barns and raising new flocks, but chickens must be about six months old before they start laying eggs. Thompson said those farms did not come back online as quickly as anticipated. In the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers, there were only about 285 million hens laying eggs nationwide as of March 1, down from 293 million the previous month. Before the outbreak, the flock typically numbered more than 315 million.

Trump tried to take credit for the lower wholesale egg prices the USDA reported in recent weeks. But experts say the president’s plan to fight bird flu by focusing on strengthening egg farmers’ defenses against the virus is likely to be more of a long-term help.

“I think there are lots of people who are looking to see the egg prices coming down because they wanted to call it a win. And I think it’s a loss for everybody. I think we all want to see egg prices come down,” Thompson said.

Egg prices are still expected to decline later this spring, but the latest numbers could also increase scrutiny of Cal-Maine Foods, which provides 20% of the nation’s eggs, and other large egg producers.

Earlier this week, Cal-Maine acknowledged it is being investigated by the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice, which is looking into egg price increases. Cal-Maine said it is cooperating with the investigation.

In its most recent quarter, which ended March 1, Cal-Maine said its net income more than tripled to $508.5 million compared to the same period a year ago. The company said its revenue nearly doubled to $1.42 billion, largely because of higher egg prices.

Since the current bird flu outbreak began, more than 168 million birds have been slaughtered, most of them egg-laying chickens. Any time a bird gets sick, the entire flock is killed to help keep bird flu from spreading. That can have an effect on the egg supply because massive egg farms may have millions of birds.

The disease is difficult to control because it is spread easily through the droppings of wild birds that carry the avian flu virus. Bird flu has also inflected other animals, including dairy cattle.

Egg prices hit $5.90 in February one month after setting a record at $4.95 per dozen, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But shoppers encountered prices much higher than that in some places; in California, the price per dozen topped $12 in some stores.

Earlier in the outbreak, egg prices spiked to hit $4.82 in January 2023 before gradually falling as low as $2.04 per dozen in August 2023. Generally, prices have since increased steadily.

Associated Press writer Dee-Ann Durbin contributed to this report.

Eggs are displayed in a grocery store in Carmel, Ind., Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Eggs are displayed in a grocery store in Carmel, Ind., Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Eggs are displayed in a grocery store in Carmel, Ind., Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Eggs are displayed in a grocery store in Carmel, Ind., Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Eggs are displayed in a grocery store in Carmel, Ind., Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

FILE - Cartons of eggs sit on a shelf in a Walmart store, March 10, 2025, in Englewood, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Eggs are displayed in a grocery store in Carmel, Ind., Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

FILE - A carton of eggs sit on a counter in the kitchen inside of 5 Rabanitos restaurant in Chicago, Feb. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)