Nov 18, (V7N) - Alex Ovechkin recorded his 31st career hat trick, and Logan Thompson made 40 saves, leading the Washington Capitals to a 5-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas on Sunday night. With goals 864, 865, and 866 of his career, Ovechkin is now 29 goals away from Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL record of 894. It was also his 176th multi-goal game, putting him 13 behind Gretzky’s record, and tied him for the league lead in goals (13) alongside Sam Reinhart (Florida) and Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton).
Jakob Chychrun and Jakub Vrana also scored for Washington, while Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas tallied two assists each. The Capitals remain unbeaten (6-0-0) against Western Conference teams and earned their first regular-season win at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas got goals from Brett Howden and Keegan Kolesar, but their two-game winning streak came to an end. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov made 20 saves for the Golden Knights.
Other NHL Results:
Hurricanes 4, Blues 1
Martin Necas starred for the Carolina Hurricanes, scoring twice and adding two assists in a victory over the St. Louis Blues in Raleigh, N.C. Necas extended his point streak to 13 games, amassing 10 goals and 17 assists in that span. Eric Robinson contributed a goal and two assists, while Andrei Svechnikov also scored. Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov recorded 29 saves for his ninth win in 11 starts. Jake Neighbours scored for the struggling Blues, who are 1-4-1 in their last six games, with goalie Joel Hofer making 20 saves.
Rangers 2, Kraken 0
Jonathan Quick secured his second consecutive shutout and the 62nd of his career, making 24 saves as the New York Rangers defeated the Seattle Kraken. Alexis Lafreniere and Zac Jones scored for the Rangers, who remain perfect this season when scoring first (10-0-0). Quick has won all four of his starts this season. For the Kraken, Philipp Grubauer stopped 21 of 23 shots in his first game since Nov. 5 after missing four games due to an off-ice injury. Seattle's four-game winning streak was snapped.
Predators 5, Canucks 3
Steven Stamkos scored twice, and Zachary L'Heureux notched his first NHL goal to lead the Nashville Predators past the Vancouver Canucks. Roman Josi added a goal and an assist, with Gustav Nyquist and Filip Forsberg contributing offensively. Goalie Juuse Saros made 24 saves as the Predators ended a three-game losing streak. The Canucks, who have only three wins in their first 10 home games, got goals from Aatu Raty, Elias Pettersson, and Kiefer Sherwood. Backup goalie Kevin Lankinen, formerly with the Predators, made 16 saves for Vancouver.
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