No goaltender has given up more goals to Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin than the Wild’s Marc-Andre Fleury, and Fleury might have factored into Ovechkin’s pursuit of history one more time.

In what could be the longtime competitors’ final meeting, Ovechkin scored for the 28th time vs. Fleury to get closer to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record, but Fleury denied Ovechkin in the shootout to finalize a 4-3 rally for the Wild on Thursday at Capital One Arena in another gritty effort for the beleaguered lineup.

Matt Boldy, who hit the post in 3-on-3 overtime, converted the lone goal in the shootout, and Fleury went 3-for 3 after a third-period, tying goal from Marco Rossi.

Fleury, in his first start in six games, racked up with 28 saves behind a patchwork defense because of injuries to captain Jared Spurgeon and Jake Middleton, and the Wild offense benefited from two slump-busting goals before clutch finishes from Boldy and Rossi.

This was the team’s fourth victory in five games despite playing most of that stretch without Kirill Kaprizov as he tries to heal a lingering lower-body injury.

Now, Spurgeon is out two to three weeks after getting slew-footed into the boards by the Predators’ Zachary L’Heureux on Tuesday, but the Wild were competitive against top-three Washington.

They settled in after the Capitals’ Tom Wilson put back his own rebound in front of Fleury 10:19 into the first period.

Just 1:05 later and on the very next shift, Ryan Hartman deflected in a Zach Bogosian shot for his first goal since Nov. 19, ending a 20-game drought. Hartman’s assist in the 5-3 victory over Nashville was his first point in 19 games.

A hooking penalty against Bogosian put the Capitals on the power play late in the period, but the Wild were the ones who capitalized with 53 seconds left in the first: Yakov Trenin won the puck from Lakeville native and former St. Cloud State goalie Charlie Lindgren behind the net and then lifted a backhander by Lindgren after Lindgren retreated to his crease. It was Trenin’s first goal in seven games, third this season and second shorthanded, which ties his career high.

But the Washington power play didn’t idle all night.

On its next try, a lengthy, four-minute look caused by a Marat Khusnutdinov high stick on Martin Fehervary, Ovechkin traded his patented one-timer from the left side for a snapshot inside the point at 15:08 of the second period that elicited a boisterous celebration from Ovechkin and “Ovie” chant from the crowd.

At 871 goals, Ovechkin is 24 shy of passing Gretzky. This was the third time he’s scored in his fourth game back after missing 16 because of fractured fibula. But despite that injury, he could still break Gretzky’s record this season — perhaps around the time these teams square off at Xcel Energy Center on March 27. The 0.83 goals-per-game rate he brought into this game against the Wild is his highest vs. any franchise he’s played at least five times.

Overall, the Capitals finished 1 for 3 on the power play, while the Wild were 0 for 1.

Washington had the next goal, too, 5:34 into the third period with Fehervary wiring a wrist shot between Fleury’s pads as Fleury was sprawled on his side after getting tied up with teammate Travis Dermott and falling in the crease.

Then after a Wilson tip was disallowed for deflecting the puck into the Wild net with a high stick, Rossi got on the end of a Hartman throw at Lindgren and buried the equalizer at 11:19. His three tying goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation are the most in the NHL.

Lindgren totaled 30 saves.

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