Alexander Ovechkin kept his march toward hockey history moving forward Sunday with a hat trick against the Edmonton Oilers.
His second-period tallies extended the Washington Capitals‘ lead to 4-1, inching him ever closer to Hockey Hall of Famer and longtime Oiler Wayne Gretzky’s record (894).
The first goal, a vintage slap shot from “The Great Eight,” was his 27th goal of the season and the 880th of his career.
Edmonton’s Calvin Pickard was also the 181st different goaltender Ovechkin has scored on in his career, extending the NHL record he broke earlier this season.
He followed that up with his 28th on the year and his 881st all-time, a power-play strike from the left circle to make it a 4-1 game late in the period.
In the final period, Ovechkin capped his dominant showing with a hat trick, scoring his 29th goal of the season (882nd overall) on an empty netter and marking his first hat trick since March 2023 against the Islanders.
With just 25 games remaining in the regular season, Ovechkin needs 13 goals to pass Gretzky.
Washington (38-11-8) appears to be well on its way to a top playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with firepower coming from just about everywhere on its roster.
