For Alex Ovechkin, scoring the 890th goal of his career wasn’t such a sweet moment; in fact, moving five goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record didn’t matter much to the 39-year-old after an 8-5 loss at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres.

“Right now, we lost three in a row,” Ovechkin said. “It’s a good thing it happens right now and not in the playoffs, but we just have to bounce back and find a way to win the games.”

Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson each scored twice to pace Buffalo, which has won four of its last five.

Ovechkin is back on pace to pass Gretzky’s mark of 894 that long seemed unapproachable this spring. He has 37 this season and is on track to reach 40 for a 14th time, also the most in league history, despite missing 16 games because of a broken left fibula.

“Again, it’s an insane number,” linemate Aliaksei Protas said of Ovechkin. “I don’t think I’d ever get that, even in NHL 25 (the video game) ... he’s chasing something special.”

Ovechkin will continue his pursuit of Gretzky on Tuesday when the Capitals head north to visit the Boston Bruins.

Jets 3, Canucks 1 >> Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves, Kyle Connor had a goal and an assist and NHL-leading Winnipeg recorded its third straight victory.

At 51-19-4, Winnipeg has a three-point lead over Eastern Conference-leading Washington for the top spot in the NHL and a six-point edge over second-place Dallas in the West.

Canadiens 4, Panthers 2 >> Nick Suzuki scored the go-ahed goal early in the third period as Montreal beat Florida.