WASHINGTON – Alex Ovechkin scored three goals Thursday in leading the Capitals to a 4-3 win against the Minnesota Wild. Below are some notes and nuggets about Ovechkin’s latest three-goal game.
- With his hat-trick against the Wild, Alex Ovechkin now has 34 goals on the season, one clear of Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane for the NHL lead. Ovechkin is looking to become the first player to win four straight goal-scoring titles since Wayne Gretzky from 1981-1985.
- Ovechkin’s 14 hat-tricks since the start of the 2005-06 season are the most in the NHL, one better than Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal.
- Ovechkin passed Mike Gartner for the second most hat-tricks in franchise history. Only Peter Bondra (19) has more three-goal games a Capitals sweater.
- Ovechkin now has 509 career NHL goals, as he passed Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Believeau (507) into 39th place all-time.
- Ovechkin’s power play tally against the Wild was the 189th power play goal of his career, as he passed Hartford Whalers alum Ron Francis into 20th place all-time.
- All three of Ovechkin’s goals came in the second period, marking the second time in his career that he scored three times in a single frame. Ovechkin last scored three goals in a period on March 3, 2008 in a 10-2 win against the Boston Bruins.
- Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk became the first goalie to allow three goals to Ovechkin in a single period (Ovechkin scored twice against Alex Auld and once against Tim Thomas in his three-goal period against the Bruins in March 2008).
- Nicklas Backstrom has assisted on all 10 goals that Ovechkin has produced in his last three hat-tricks — Apr.6, 2013 (3x), Dec.10, 2013 (4x), Feb.11, 2016 (3x).
