Photo credit: @recordsANDradio

With 33 seconds left in the third period, the Washington Capitals trailed the Tampa Bay Lighning 5-4. They needed a hero. Enter Alex Ovechkin, already with three goals to his name, to save the day. Again.

As John Carlson slid a cross-ice pass to Ovechkin near The Ovi Spot™, the Russian machine winded up with all his might and fired. He somehow found a hole next to Ben Bishop and tied the game.

Because a hat trick is cool and all, but four goals is so much cooler.

Perhaps John Walton’s radio call of the goal captured the excitement best:

But it’s Alex Ovechkin’s celebration on video that concerns us now. Over one of Joe Beninati’s best-ever goal calls, Ovechkin just loses his dang mind celebrating.

First, the Caps captain took a big leap into the air, nearly head-butting the Verizon Center jumbotron. (Okay, not quite, but he jumped pretty freaking high.) Next, he dove belly-first on the ice, going for a swim into neutral. Finally, Ovi needed a buddy for a Hockey Hug. And there was John Carlson, arms wide open.

Here’s another look.

Then the Caps pig-pile.

This was Alex Ovechkin’s third four-goal game.

The last time he did it was January 31, 2008, when the Capitals took on the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. This was the game where Ovi got bloodied, and responded by turning into a God.

A year earlier, Ovechkin recorded his first quattro, notching four against the Ottawa Senators on December 29, 2007.

Ovi added a tally in both games for five-point showings.

With his insane performance on Tuesday, Ovi looks certain to capture the Rocket Richard trophy. He has scored 26 goals in 29 games with a six-goal lead over Corey Perry and Alex Steen.

Ovi also took over the franchise lead in power-play goals from Peter Bondra and leapfrogged Paul Coffey, Dave Keon, Cam Neely, Pierre Larouche, Markus Naslund, and Tomas Sandstrom to take 88th overall on the NHL’s all-time goal scoring list.

He is only 28 years old.

What a night.