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In an exciting display of skill and perseverance, Alex Ovechkin reached another major milestone in his illustrious career, scoring his 882nd goal with a hat trick in the Washington Capitals’ dominant 7-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at Capital One Arena on Sunday.
Ovechkin, who now has 29 goals in just 41 games this season, is just 13 goals away from surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 goals. With 25 games remaining in the regular season, Ovechkin is on the verge of making history and passing the legendary Gretzky for the top spot in NHL history.
When asked about his pursuit of the record, Ovechkin remained focused on taking it “game by game.” “Today I had pretty good chances to score more, but I’ll take three,” he said modestly after the game, which was his 32nd career hat trick.
In addition to Ovechkin’s historic performance, Dylan Strome contributed a goal and two assists, while Tom Wilson and Jakob Chychrun each scored a goal and had an assist. Aliaksei Protas added three assists, and goalie Charlie Lindgren made 22 saves for the Capitals, who have been in great form lately with an 8-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins the day before. Washington is currently 5-0-3 in their last eight games, and they’ve been nearly unbeatable at home, boasting an impressive 11-0-5 record over their past 16 home games.
“It was as good as we’ve played all season from start to finish,” said Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery. “We were so dialed in from puck drop to the end of that game — the bench, not only what guys were vocalizing on the bench, but what they were doing every shift after shift against as good a team as there is in the League on a back-to-back.”
For the Oilers, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins contributed a goal and an assist, while Leon Draisaitl extended his point streak to eight games with a goal. However, the Oilers struggled defensively, giving up numerous odd-man rushes and allowing the Capitals’ stars too much space, which led to the blowout loss.
The game’s first goal came from Draisaitl at 1:42 in the first period, as he scored on a one-timer from the right circle during a power play. However, Washington responded swiftly. Wilson tied the game 1-1 at 17:15, knocking in a rebound. Chychrun then put the Capitals ahead with a power-play goal at 19:36, giving Washington a 2-1 lead.
Ovechkin’s first goal came at 8:53 of the second period, when he scored from the high slot after receiving a drop pass from Strome, increasing the Capitals’ lead to 3-1. He extended the lead to 4-1 at 18:39 with a power-play goal, scoring on a one-timer from the left circle. His third goal came in the final minutes of the game, an empty-netter to complete his hat trick and secure the 7-3 win.
Despite a back-and-forth battle in the third period, which saw Nugent-Hopkins and Jeff Skinner score for Edmonton, the Capitals’ offense proved too much. Strome added a goal at 10:38, followed by Ovechkin’s hat-trick goal, sealing the victory.
Lindgren, Washington’s goalie, was full of praise for his teammate. “I’m telling you, he amazes me night in and night out. He truly is the best,” Lindgren said. “I’m so thankful that he’s a Washington Capital and to share a locker room with him, it’s been incredible.”
Notes:
- Ovechkin led the game with nine shots on goal.
- Strome has 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists) during his current eight-game point streak.
- McDavid was a minus-3 for the third consecutive game, while Draisaitl’s streak continues.
- The Capitals’ 16-game home point streak is the second-longest in franchise history, just behind a 17-game stretch in 2016-17.
As Ovechkin inches closer to Gretzky’s record, hockey fans across the world eagerly await the historic moment when The Great 8 claims the title of the NHL’s all-time goal scorer.