"He'll do it in Los Angeles": Hockey Night Canada panel makes bold claim over Alex Ovechkin inching closer to Wayne Gretzky's goal record 

Alex Ovechkin returned to the Washington Capitals lineup in Saturday's 5-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. It came after 16 games on the shelf with a broken fibula, stemming from a collision with Jack McBain of the Utah Hockey Club on Nov. 18.

Ovechkin picked up where he left off in his chase to be the all-time NHL goals leader, potting the empty-net goal to seal the Caps' victory. He now has 869 career tallies and 25 behind Wayne Gretzky's 894 record.

Ovechkin's historical pursuit has sparked plenty of debate about if and when he'll catch "The Great One."

Kevin Biekas shared his thoughts on the pregame Hockey Night in Canada panel on Saturday.

"I was sitting around the other day on my rocking chair, and I was thinking, I wonder how many games it took Gretzky to get the last 27 goals?" Bieksa said.

"Well, it took him 50, and Ovechkin has 48. Just kidding, I didn't pick it up. We all know Brian Spear or Heather or somebody else gave me that tidbit, but Ovechkin has 48 games left, and he also needs the 27 so wouldn't it be amazing if that's how he one-upped Wayne, and getting a couple tonight would certainly start the way."

Ron MacLean then brought up the potential of Ovechkin doing it on March 13 in the Capitals' lone visit to Los Angeles this season.

"Point eight, three goals per game this year, he was on fire," MacLean said. "If he keeps that pace going, we were saying March 13. He'll do it in Los Angeles, which would really be serendipity."

It's great for the hockey world to have Ovechkin back and scoring goals, and fans are awaiting the historic moment that could happen later this season.

Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals are also chasing the top spot in the Metropolitan division

Alex Ovechkin's goal record isn't the only thing he and the Washington Capitals are chasing this season. In one of the more surprising storylines of the campaign, Washington is second in the Metro and fourth in the entire league with a 24-9-2 record (50 points).

Even in Ovechkin's 16-game absence, there was no slowing Washington down as it went 10-5-1. The Capitals are just one point behind the division-leading New Jersey Devils, and they have four games on hand to catch and pass them.

Alex Ovechkin will continue his pursuit of Gretzky on Sunday in Detroit in the second half of a back-to-back against the struggling Red Wings. The puck drops at 5:00 p.m. EST.