Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin talks about scoring hat trick (Source: Imagn)

Alex Ovechkin scored a hat trick in the Washington Capitals’ 5-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. It was his first hat trick of the season and the 31st of his career. This was Ovechkin’s first hat trick since December 31, 2022, against the Montreal Canadiens.

Ovechkin’s three goals came at different times in the game. He scored a power-play goal in the first period, then added another in the second. His third goal was an empty-netter late in the third period. This gave him 866 career goals, just 29 away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s record.

“It was a pretty cool atmosphere, like always,” Ovechkin said per NHL.com, “We played hard. Right from the start, everybody did their job blocking shots.”

Alex Ovechkin spoke about the special memories of playing in Vegas. He lifted the Stanley Cup here in T-Mobile Arena for the first time in 2019. Talking about the inspiration to perform his best in the Vegas Arena, Ovechkin said:

“Yeah, it’s gonna stay forever. You know, memories that happens, what we have hereaback in ‘19. So yeah, it’s great.”

Ovechkin’s first goal of the night was his 315th power-play goal, extending his NHL record. Later in the second period, he scored again, helping the Capitals take a 4-2 lead. Ovechkin also made a key defensive play, saving a goal with his stick to deny Ivan Barbashev. Talking about his save, Ovechkin said:

“It was, you know, it’s kind of happened so quick. And I think he didn’t even know, like the puck goes through between legs. I was kind of surprised, you know.

Ovechkin now has 13 goals and 10 assists this season, with 60 shots on goal through 17 games. He also has 176 career multi-goal games, second only to Gretzky’s 189. Ovechkin continues to move closer to breaking the all-time goal-scoring record.

Alex Ovechkin is second on the NHL’s all-time goal scorer list

Alex Ovechkin is second on the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring list with 866 goals and is only behind Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin has played 1,443 games, fewer than Gretzky’s 1,963 games.

Gordie Howe ranks third with 801 goals in 1,767 games. Ovechkin surpassed Howe’s record in the 2023-24 season. Jaromir Jagr follows in fourth with 766 goals in 1,733 games. Brett Hull is fifth with 741 goals in 1,269 games.

Ovechkin’s 315 power-play goals set him apart. His goal-scoring rate is impressive, and he is getting closer to Gretzky’s record in a much shorter time than expected.