Alex Ovechkin reached his latest career milestone in dominant fashion. The Capitals superstar scored his 800th career goal on Tuesday night against the Blackhawks, and he did with a hat trick. Ovechkin is the third player in NHL history to reach 800 goals.
- Wayne Gretzky: 894
- Gordie Howe: 801
- Alex Ovechkin: 800 (three on Tuesday)
He scored No. 800 with 13:26 remaining in the third period.
It was Ovechkin’s 29th career hat trick, which moves him out of a tie with Marcel Dionne and Bobby Hull for sixth all-time. Gretzky has the all-time record there as well, with 50.
Here’s the first goal, just 24 seconds into the game:
And here’s the second, which came on a power play 8:14 into the first period. It was Ovechkin’s 292nd career power-play goal, extending his own record, which became his nearly a year ago.
It was a great night for Ovechkin to be mic’d up, and here’s how he reacted to the first two tallies.
Ovechkin, 37, has been on a tear recently, with Tuesday night marking his fourth consecutive game with a goal. That has coincided with the Capitals’ hot streak, as Washington had won a season-high four straight coming into Tuesday. That’s been the story of the Capitals’ season: Entering Tuesday, Ovechkin had scored 21 points in 14 Capitals wins this season compared to just nine in 16 losses (including overtime losses).
Ovechkin’s first chance to tie (or pass) Howe will be on Thursday against the Stars.
