Alex Ovechkin isn’t slowing down at age 39. The legendary sniper scored his first hat trick since 2022, propelling the Washington Capitals to victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday and reigniting pleasure round his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time scoring document.
With this dynamic and seemingly ageless efficiency, Ovechkin tallied his eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth targets of the season, shifting right into a share of the NHL’s goal-scoring lead. The Capitals gained 5-2, with Jakob Chychrun and Jakub Vrana additionally scoring. Brett Howden and Keegan Kolesar scored for the Golden Knights. Ovechkin completed the sport a plus/minus +3 and with 5 photographs on web. He performed 14:53, sixth most amongst Capitals skaters.
The three-goal effort brings Ovechkin’s profession complete to 866 targets, leaving him simply 29 shy of Gretzky’s iconic mark of 894. The countdown to historical past is formally heating up, and the document appears to be nicely inside attain.
Regardless of the calls for of an NHL season and the challenges of getting old, Ovechkin continues to defy expectations and solidify his place in historical past. What makes it much more particular is that he’s bringing the Capitals together with him, protecting them in rivalry early within the season.
Is It A Matter of If and Not When For Ovechkin?
Because the season progresses, it appears inevitable now that Ovechkin will move Gretzky. The query may turn into how shortly he will get there and the way a lot of a cushion he places on the lead as soon as he will get it.
There was a ton of trepidation going into the season with many doubting that Ovechkin may surpass Gretzky’s document this yr. Whereas it gained’t be in 2024 that he does it, it’s arduous to think about “The Nice One” holding on any longer than 2025.
One factor is for certain—Ovechkin’s pursuit of the document is changing into must-watch programming.
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