WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin’s explosive performance stunned the opposition as he scored his 880th, 881st, and 882nd career goals to secure a hat trick against the Edmonton Oilers. The Washington Capitals defeated the Oilers 7-3, with Ovechkin inching closer to breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record by moving just 13 goals away. Ovechkin’s remarkable goals included a wrist shot assisted by Dylan Strome, a power-play goal, and an empty-net goal. This victory propelled the Capitals back to the top of the league standings.
In addition to Ovechkin’s heroics, Tom Wilson, Jakob Chychrun, Connor McMichael, and Dylan Strome also found the back of the net for the Capitals. Goaltender Charlie Lindgren made 22 saves in the winning effort. The Oilers, led by Leon Draisaitl’s 42nd goal of the season, lost their third consecutive game despite late goals from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jeff Skinner.
In another game, the New York Rangers rallied to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3, with Adam Fox scoring the go-ahead goal in the third period. J.T. Miller tallied two goals, while Will Cuylle and Jimmy Vesey also contributed to the Rangers’ victory. The Penguins saw goals from Ryan Shea, Evgeni Malkin, and others, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Rangers’ offensive surge.
Elsewhere, Nico Daws recorded his first NHL shutout as the New Jersey Devils blanked the Nashville Predators 5-0. Dougie Hamilton, Ondrej Palat, Seamus Casey, Stefan Noesen, and Tomas Tatar all scored for the Devils, with Nico Hischier leading the way with three assists.
Lastly, the Tampa Bay Lightning extended their winning streak to five games with a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Andrei Vasilevskiy’s stellar goaltending, coupled with goals from Nikita Kucherov, Luke Glendening, Nick Paul, and Brandon Hagel, secured the Lightning’s dominance on the ice.
In their most recent seven matches, Shane Wright netted a goal, and Ales Stezka recorded 19 saves in his NHL debut for Seattle. The game remained scoreless in the first period until Hagel of the Lightning broke the deadlock by executing a spinning backhander to score his seventh short-handed goal of the season at 9:27 of the second period. Kucherov and Glendening extended Tampa Bay’s lead to 3-0 with goals just 1:43 apart in the third period. Wright managed to tip in a shot by Montour to narrow the score to 3-1 at 15:24, with Paul sealing the victory with an empty-net goal.
In another game, the Blues defeated the Avalanche 3-1, with Colton Parayko scoring the go-ahead goal in the second period. Dylan Holloway and Brayden Schenn also found the net for St. Louis, while Devon Toews scored the lone goal for Colorado. Mackenzie Blackwood made 22 saves for the Avalanche. The game saw a flurry of goals from both sides, with Schenn equalizing for the Blues and Parayko putting them ahead in the second period, and Holloway sealing the victory with a goal late in the period.
The Red Wings bested the Ducks 5-4 in overtime, with Patrick Kane scoring the game-winning goal. The game started with a rapid flurry of goals from Detroit, as Marco Kasper, Alex DeBrincat, and Kane all scored within the first 5:06 of the game. The Ducks made a late push, scoring twice after pulling their goaltender for an extra skater, but Detroit held on for the win.
Toronto emerged victorious against Chicago with a 5-2 win, buoyed by two goals from Nicholas Robertson in the second period. Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev also contributed with a goal and an assist each, while Joseph Woll made 25 saves for the Maple Leafs.
Dallas secured a 4-3 win over the Islanders, powered by Jason Robertson’s hat trick. Jake Oettinger made 35 saves for the Stars, with Sam Steel also finding the net. The game saw a late disallowed goal for the Islanders, as Dallas held on for their third consecutive victory.
After the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, Dallas defenseman Lian Bischel left late in the second period and did not return following a head check from the Islanders’ Casey Cizikas. Palmieri managed to tie the game at 2 at 8:55 of the second period, but Robertson then scored two power-play goals to complete a hat trick, giving the Stars a 4-2 lead.
In another game, Utah defeated Vancouver 2-1 in Salt Lake City. Dylan Guenther scored the game-winning power-play goal with just under six minutes remaining in the third period. Logan Cooley, back in the lineup after missing the last seven games due to a lower-body injury, also scored for Utah. Clayton Keller provided two assists, while John Marino and Nick Schmaltz each had one. Goalkeeper Karel Vejmelka of Utah made 14 saves. Jake DeBrusk scored for Vancouver, with Arturs Silos making 30 saves. Elias Pettersson and Pius Suter assisted on DeBrusk’s power-play goal at 1:43 of the second period to open the scoring. Cooley quickly equalized at 3:51, and Guenther scored the winning goal by tipping in a pass from Schmaltz.
The Flames secured a 3-2 victory over the Sharks in Calgary. Joel Hanley scored his first goal of the season at 13:26 of the third period to lead Calgary to the win. Nazem Kadri and Kevin Rooney also scored for the Flames. Rookie Dustin Wolf made 27 saves for his 20th victory after four winless starts. Macklin Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli scored for San Jose. Alexander Georgiev made 33 saves in a losing effort, marking his sixth straight loss and 12th defeat in his last 13 starts. Rooney gave Calgary the lead with his first goal and point since December 10 at 3:35 of the second period. Toffoli tied the game early in the third period by scoring his own rebound, recording his team-leading 21st goal.
