Alex Ovechkin netted another hat trick, Dougie Hamilton scored in his return to Calgary and the Sharks allowed plenty of goals again, but still won.
Here are three things we learned in the NHL on a five-game Tuesday.
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Sharks win, but keep allowing goals aplenty
When your team is up against a red-hot Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, brace for some goals against.
The San Jose Sharks found that out first-hand when they surrendered six goals (including three from Ovechkin) to the defending Stanley Cup champions, but were still able to come away with a 7-6 overtime win.
San Jose became the first team since the 1995 Anaheim Mighty Ducks to allow six or more goals in four consecutive games.
Considering the Sharks allow the second-fewest shots-against in the league this season at just over 28 per game, this statistic becomes all the more puzzling. Trading for a potential upgrade in net or on the blue line could go a long way to compensate for San Jose’s injury woes. Does acquiring Cam Talbot or Jimmy Howard sound enticing, Sharks fans?
Thanks to a last-second goal in regulation from Evander Kane and Tomas Hertl’s overtime winner (which gave him a hat trick of his own), the Sharks overcame allowing six goals this time around and snapped their three-game slide. Meanwhile, Washington has now lost six games in a row.
Hertl and Ovechkin scoring three apiece marks the first time since 2016 that a player from each team has netted a hat trick in the same game.
Ovechkin passes Andreychuk on all-time goals list
When Ovechkin is parked in front, it’s almost a sure thing any potential rebound will get buried into the back of the net.
Ovechkin proved as much on Tuesday, cleaning up after T.J. Oshie’s miss in the first period to score his league-leading 34th goal of the season.
The Russian’s first-period goal moved him into 14th all-time on the NHL’s career goals list, passing Dave Andreychuk (640 goals).
The Capitals captain wasn’t done there, putting home another puck in the second period, then finding twine once again to complete his hat trick performance and give him 36 goals on the campaign.
Ovechkin’s hat trick was the 23rd of his career, which now ranks tied for 10th all-time.
After his trio of goals, Ovechkin only needs 14 more markers to pass Brendan Shanahan (656) for 13th all-time.
The Great Eight leads the pack in goal scoring among active players, with Patrick Marleau next on the list at No. 30 with 546 career goals. Aside from Ovechkin and Marleau, no other active player is a top-50 all-time goal scorer. Sidney Crosby, who’s tied for 69th all-time with 432 goals, is the next closest active player.
Hamilton makes most of return to Calgary
After producing three consecutive 40-point seasons with the Calgary Flames, Dougie Hamilton was traded in one of the headline deals of this past off-season. Well, Hamilton’s anticipated return to Alberta as a member of the visiting Carolina Hurricanes finally arrived, and the defenceman was sure to make the most of it.
Hamilton proved just how much he was looking forward to his return to the Saddledome, scoring his seventh goal off a redirection in front in the first period against his former club. Unfortunately for Hamilton, the Canes weren’t able to hold on and fell 3-2 in overtime.
The 25-year-old blueliner hasn’t produced as much offensively with just 17 points in his first season with Carolina, which could be partially attributed to playing on one of the league’s lowest scoring outfits.
Despite struggling to meet his standards thus far, performances like the one Hamilton put forth against the Flames could go a long way in helping him regain some of the scoring touch he displayed last season.
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