Edmonton Oilers
Ovechkin Closes in on Gretzky’s Record with Hat Trick vs. Oilers
Alex Ovechkin scored a hat trick on Sunday as the Washington Capitals stomped the Edmonton Oilers 7-3. He needs just 13 more.
The Washington Capitals dominated the Edmonton Oilers with a statement 7-3 win on Sunday, capitalizing on an Oilers squad struggling in the second game of a back-to-back. Edmonton got romped twice in 24 hours, allowing 13 goals in total to the Flyers and Capitals. Of those 13, three went to Alex Ovechkin, who recorded his 32nd career hat trick. Ovechkin now has 882 goals and is just 13 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s legendary NHL record of 894.
Ovechkin could have had five goals in this game, missing on two wide-open opportunities. However, his two goals, plus an empty-netter, marked his first-ever hat trick against Edmonton. It was also the first time he’d scored on goaltender Calvin Pickard in his career.
When Ovie gets hot, he gets hot, and it feels almost inevitable that he’ll break the record this season. The ongoing pursuit of Gretzky’s all-time record is even more incredible when you factor in just how dominant the Capitals have been this season.
Ovechkin Feels Unstoppable
With 26 games left in the season, projections suggest he could surpass Gretzky’s record in early April, potentially at home against the Chicago Blackhawks. His next chance to chip away at the record will be against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
As for the Oilers, this has been a brutal weekend, and they have to find a way to turn things around. There were so many areas that needed improvement; it’s hard to know where to start. They had multiple giveaways, terrible zone coverage, limited shots, and bad penalty-killing. Their goaltenders weren’t great, but the defense hung both Stuart Skinner and Pickard out to dry.
The Oilers tried to juggle the lines and it clearly had no effect.
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