Alex Ovechkin scored a hat trick and his Washington Capitals defeated Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. It was glorious. Lemme tell you bout it.
Okay, a bad start but it’s brief: Leon Draisaitl put the puck in a yawning net on a first-period power play, but then Tom Wilson restored the tie after nabbing Pierre-Luc Dubois’s deflection. Before the period was up, Jakob Chychrun had yet another heat-seeker from his favorite spot.
The Caps killed a couple penalties in the second period before the explosion: Alex Ovechkin scored goals numbered 880 and 881 back-to-back. Connor McMichael finished the period with a glorious passing sequence.
Sandin duffed a hard-around pass, leading to a turnover and a goal by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to make it 5-2. Dylan Strome needed more, cleaning up Protas’ rebound. Jeff Skinner got one back after some more defensive-zone carelessness. The Oilers pulled Calvin Pickard as a personal favor to Ovechkin, and he thanked them with a long-distance empty-netter — the 882nd goal of his career.
Caps win!
Two Bailamos-es in one weekend.
Unprecedented? I don’t know! All I know is that the list of things that are forbidden anymore is very, very short.
- The Washington Capitals scored 14 goals in a 24-hour period from 3:21 PM Saturday to 3:21 PM Sunday. Fifteen on the weekend. I was never upset about the team getting snubbed for the Four Nations Faceoff, but now I’m fully delighted by it.
- There’s a lot of Ovi stuff in this recap, obviously, but I want to shout out Ethen Frank, who stole a puck from Connor McDavid and later chased down a breakaway at warp speed (crashing into the net in the process). I love watching him.
- The first period was superb. The Oilers controlled a couple shifts and then the Caps took over. The period was whistle-free except when the refs made weak calls (McDavid dove, Roy didn’t break the stick).
- Alex Ovechkin‘s 880th goal came on the rush, with Dylan Strome providing a wonderful setup pass for the primary assist.
- That goal added Oilers backup goalie Calvin Pickard to The List, number 181. It wasn’t the last he’d allow from Ovi.
- Ovechkin’s second goal was your classic Ovi Shot from the Ovi Spot. The kind you’ll be telling your grandkids about in thirty years.
- The hat trick goal was an empty-netter from 139 feet out, center mass. Ovechkin now has seven goals in last seven games, spanning the break. It just felt like fate. It’s his 32nd career hat trick.
- Speaking of spots, Jakob Chychrun remains silly from the high up in the zone. He had no business getting that shot through traffic.
- The Caps were really feeling themselves on the Connor McMichael goal. The confidence to make these passes is impressive. If they were doing this in a scoring slump, I’d be irate. But they’re doing this during a riotous weekend, and I’m giddy.
- Both Oilers goals allowed in the third period were unfortunate turnovers in the defensive zone, first by Sandin and then by Roy. It’s kind of the inverse side of the McMichael offensive swagger; just make the safe defensive play and this doesn’t happen.
- I’m not going to name names but I asked someone who the best Connor Mc is and they looked confused and said “McGregor?” and, long story short, I truck with this person no longer.
Not Joe B tier but still a solid @Tarik_ElBashir fit pic.twitter.com/NOnGHp4Gep
— RMNB (@rmnb) February 23, 2025
Wow.
Every time there’s any punctuation in the Caps season I think to myself, “well, now it’s over. The magic couldn’t last forever.” And every time, they prove me wrong. Every time, Alex Ovechkin in particular proves me in particular wrong. They’re supposed to be cooked; they’re supposed to be washed up. I don’t know if they’re winning out of spite or agape or if they’ve just created a network of synergies through roster changes that have improved every part of their game, but actually I do know and it’s all three.
See ya Tuesday, when they’ll score some more I bet.
