Alex Ovechkin set to smash an all-time NHL record this week.

There's no question in the minds of anyone who has followed the career of Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin that he will go down as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Ovechkin has been a dominant force on the ice since entering the league both with his willingness to engage in physical play as well as with his dominant goal scoring abilities and now he is set to officially begin his assault on the National Hockey League's record books.

While everyone has been paying close attention to Ovechkin's goal totals, with Ovechkin only 5 goals away from surpassing the legendary Gordie Howe for second on the NHL's all-time list, Ovechkin has been quietly sneaking up on another NHL record.

Currently the NHL record for most shots on goal is held by legendary Boston Bruins defenseman Ray Bourque, who in spite of being a defenseman racked up an unbelievable 6209 shots on goal during his NHL career, but there is now a very real chance that Ovechkin could claim that crown for himself as early as this week.

Ovechkin currently sits at a total of 6190 shots on goal in his career and although it seemed clear he would pass Bourque at some point this month, his recent output suggests he may be in a hurry to do so. Over the course of the last three games, where the Capitals faced off against the Philadelphia Flyers, Seattle Kraken, and Winnipeg Jets, Ovechkin has greatly surpassed his career average of roughly 4.7 shots per game to collect a total of 20 shots over those 3 games which works out to roughly 6.7 shots per game over that stretch.

Wouldn't you know it, with only 19 shots needed to catch Ray Bourque, Ovechkin has 3 games on his schedule this week with games against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, Dallas Stars on Thursday and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. If he can maintain his current torrid pace he could tie, or even surpass, Bourque for sole possession of the NHL's all-time record for shots on goal before the week has come to a close.