McDavid leads way as NHL stars erupt

Some of the NHL's biggest stars burned brightly Thursday night.
In a wild can-you-top-this competition, Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid finished with top billing on the marquee with the first five-point night of his career, but there were plenty of bold-faced names joining him as support.
In all, 11 players scored at least three points -- and there were three hat tricks -- during a night of blistering offense that featured 55 goals across the nine games.

McDavid factored in each of Edmonton's goals in a 5-2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Rexall Place, turning in the most prolific performance of his rookie season against the team he cheered for as a child growing up in nearby Newmarket, Ontario.
McDavid, 19, is the youngest player in almost five seasons to score five points. Current teammate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had five assists against the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 19, 2011, which was also the last time a rookie scored five points.
McDavid's performance diverted the spotlight, to a degree, from other notable performances. Jordan Eberle, McDavid's linemate, had his first NHL hat trick and Benoit Pouliot, the other member of the line, had the first four-point performance of his career.
In the six games since McDavid returned from a 37-game injury absence, those three players have combined for 13 goals and 32 points, an average of 5.33 points per game.
Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin registered a hat trick in a 4-3 victory against the Minnesota Wild, helping Washington become the first NHL team to reach the 40-win mark this season.

All three of Ovechkin's goals came in the second period, during a span of 12 minutes and 31 seconds. It was the 14th hat trick of his career, but only the second time he scored three goals in the same period.
Ovechkin, who has 34 goals this season, passed Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane (33 goals) as the top goal scorer in the League. On a historical level, Ovechkin has 509 goals in his NHL career and passed Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau, who has 507, for 39th place all-time. Gilbert Perreault is next on the list with 512 goals.
Dallas Stars forward Patrick Eaves had the other hat trick Thursday, the second of his career, scoring three goals in the first period of a 4-2 win against the Blackhawks, the Central Division leaders. Dallas is one point behind Chicago in the division and holds three games in hand.
Other players with three or more points Thursday night were San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture (1-3-4), Colorado Avalanche forward Jarome Iginla (2-1-3), Boston Bruins forwards Brad Marchand (1-2-3) and Brett Connolly (0-3-3), Calgary Flames forward Sam Bennett (1-2-3) and Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom (0-3-3).