WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Alex Ovechkin scored the 889th goal of his career Tuesday night, and is now six goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record.

Ovechkin posted the tying goal in the third period to help the Washington Capitals force overtime and gain a point. The Winnipeg Jets won 3-2 in the extra session.

It has been a remarkable run this season for the East-leading Capitals, and Ovechkin, who entered the campaign 42 goals short of breaking a record that long seemed unapproachable. He sat out 16 games because of a broken leg but resumed his pursuit in December.

The 39-year-old Russian, in his 20th NHL season, took a pass from linemate Aliaksei Protas on Tuesday night, and fired a wrist shot past Vezina Trophy front-runner Connor Hellebuyck to tie the score.

Ovechkin, named the game’s third star, had four shots on net, and finished with 17:43 time on ice across 20 shifts.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.