Favorite memory of season: Ovechkin erupts for hat trick with Capitals

The NHL season was paused on March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. During the break in the action, NHL.com writers will each look back at his or her favorite memory of the season so far. Today, staff writer Tom Gulitti writes about Alex Ovechkin's hat trick for the Washington Capitals against the Los Angeles Kings on Feb 4.

Alex Ovechkin was having a quiet night.

Then with three goals in 4:24 late in the third period, Ovechkin added to his legend and led the Washington Capitals to a 4-2 victory against the Los Angeles Kings at Capital One Arena on Feb. 4.

What made this game memorable and this hat trick stand out from the first 26 Ovechkin had in his 15-season NHL career was it seemed to come out of nowhere.

Through the first 53 minutes, Los Angeles held the 34-year-old forward without a shot on goal and one shot attempt (it missed the net with 1:27 remaining in the second period). When Jeff Carter scored his second goal of the game to give the Kings a 2-1 lead with 8:27 remaining in the third period, it appeared the Capitals were headed for a disappointing loss.

But when Ovechkin finally got his first shot on goal of the game, it went in and sparked Washington to life.

Ovechkin went to the net to redirect a centering feed from T.J. Oshie with 6:10 remaining to tie the score 2-2. Then he gave the Capitals a 3-2 lead by putting in his own rebound with 5:00 left before completing the scoring with an empty-net goal with 1:46 remaining.

"Obviously, it was a tough couple periods for our line," Ovechkin said. "But when [Oshie] jumped in you can see we started to create some moments out there and the first one was a pretty pass and I got lucky it bounced off my stick and goes in."

Ovechkin's third goal of the game was his 40th of the season and he joined Wayne Gretzky as the only players in NHL history with 11 seasons of at least 40 goals. Gretzky scored at least 40 12 times during his 20 NHL seasons with the Edmonton Oilers (nine), Kings (three), St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers before retiring in 1999.

"To shut down the best scorer in our generation by a mile for 55 minutes and then let him get three in the last five, or whatever the minutes were, it's really frustrating," Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said.

Ovechkin's fourth hat trick of the season, the most in a season of his NHL career, capped a scoring surge of 14 goals in seven games that brought him within two of becoming the eighth player in NHL history with 700. Although it took Ovechkin another seven games before he reached the milestone by scoring against the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 22, it was inevitable he'd get there.

Ovechkin's hat trick against the Kings was a reminder that he's still capable of surprising us and had his teammates and coach Todd Reirden shaking their heads in disbelief.

"I have not seen that," Reirden said. "That's impressive and just tonight sums it all up: In less than five minutes, he took over the game. We win the game because of that. That's what superstars do."