Alexander Ovechkin can't stop scoring.
The Washington Capitals' star headed into Tuesday leading the NHL with 33 goals on the season. He ended the day with three more tallies to his name, scoring in each period and adding an assist in the Capitals' 7-6 loss to the visiting San Jose Sharks.
His first goal came on the power play, when Ovechkin pounced on a rebound and flipped the puck past a helpless Martin Jones midway through the first period.
In the second period, Ovechkin struck again. The 33-year-old received a drop pass from Nicklas Backstrom before unleashing a quick shot from the top of the face off circle that evaded Jones.
Ovechkin completed his hat trick early in the third period. The Capitals sped into the Sharks' zone with an odd-man rush and Jakub Vrána found the Russian with a cross-ice pass. Ovechkin made no mistake, one-timing the puck beyond Jones' right pad.
Ovechkin's third of the game had given the Capitals a two-goal cushion, but the Sharks battled back to win it in overtime. Tomas Hertl led the Sharks with a hat trick of his own, while Evander Kane sent the game to the extra period with a game-tying goal less than a second before the end of regulation.
Despite his team's capitulation, Ovechkin still had a night to remember. His hat trick pushed him to 36 goals on the year, giving him a six-goal advantage over the three players (John Tavares, Brayden Point and Jeff Skinner) currently tied for second place.
In addition, his first goal on Tuesday elevated Ovechkin to 14th place on the NHL's all-time goal scoring chart.
Alex Ovechkin scored his League-leading 34th goal of the season and the 641st of his career, passing Dave Andreychuk (640) for sole possession of 14th on the NHL's all-time list. #NHLStats #SJSvsWSH pic.twitter.com/HcgJ2sz6GY
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 23, 2019
The reigning Maurice Richard Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy winner also joined the top 10 for most hat tricks in a career, surpassing Teemu Selanne in the process.
Ovechkin's 23rd career hat trick propelled him ahead Teemu Selanne (22) and into a tie with Jari Kurri (23) for the 10th-most in NHL history. #NHLStats #SJSvsWSH https://t.co/EQtnZlThC5 pic.twitter.com/pcECL31TGd
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 23, 2019
Finally, Ovechkin inched closer to becoming the highest-scoring Russian born player in league history. He's just a single point behind Sergei Fedorov after his prolific night against the Sharks.
Alex Ovechkin has four points tonight (3g, 1a), his 26th career game with at least four points. He's now two points shy of passing Sergei Fedorov for the most points among Russian-born players all-time (Fedorov: 1,179 points).
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) January 23, 2019
Ovechkin will get a chance to add more goals to his tally when the Capitals meet the struggling Maple Leafs in Toronto on Wednesday.