For “Washington,” the away meeting with the “Islanders” was the last before the break for the NHL Stars Match and was remembered as an excellent comeback performed by the capital's hockey players. After the second period, Todd Rirden's wards lost 1–4, but were able to distinguish themselves five times in a row and snatch victory. The main hero of the evening was Alexander Ovechkin, chalked up three abandoned goals.

The leader of the Capitals approached this game against the background of an impressive performance in the confrontation with New Jersey. In the debut of that meeting, the Devils striker Miles Wood hit Ovechkin with a club and smashed his face, but this only irritated the Russian. As a result, he hit the opponent’s gate three times and not only brought victory to his team, but also returned to the dispute for the title of the best sniper of the season.

Experts have repeatedly noted that Ovechkin plays with much greater zeal if he finds himself in a difficult situation and is forced to overcome certain difficulties. But if in the meeting with the Devils the rudeness of Wood appeared as an irritating factor, then in the match with the Islanders there was a threat of defeat. For two periods, the wards of the former Capitals mentor Barry Trotz dominated the ice and upset Braden Holtby four times, missing only once.

It is noteworthy that it was Ovechkin who authored this only goal, abandoned at the goal of Semyon Varlamov. On the 11th, he took advantage of the confusion of the opponent’s defense, broke out one on one with his compatriot and did not leave a chance. This exact hit became for Alexander 690 in his career in the overseas league and allowed him to equal in this indicator the legendary Mario Lemieux.

But the main successes of the Russians came in the third period. By this moment, Rirden had already sent Holtby to rest and released the reserve goalkeeper Ilya Samsonov on the ice. As it turned out later, this replacement fully paid off. In 20 minutes, he repelled seven shots and did not miss a single goal, which also inspired the partners. First, Karl Hagelin reduced the difference in the score, and three minutes later Ovechkin again reminded of himself. He beat Scott Mayfield in an elegant style and pushed the puck into the goal of Varlamov in the fall. She fell into the skate of the Islanders defender, and then crossed the line.

After that, the Capitals could no longer be stopped. In the second half of the period, Tom Wilson equalized, Yakub Vrana brought the guests ahead, and Ovechkin completed the incredible comeback. He hit the empty net of the opponent and scored a hat-trick in two games in a row.

It is worth noting that the last time the Washington leader managed to do this in December 2018, when Detroit and Carolina were alternately hit by Ovechkin. At the same time, in a duel with Hurricanes, the team was also inferior with a score of 1: 4, but was able to turn the tide of the meeting and score five goals. In total, the Russian citizen three times in his career was marked with hat-tricks in two games in a row, which allowed him to catch up with Wayne Gretzky on this indicator. One more time Joe Malone did it.

For Ovechkin, the hat-trick in the reporting match was the 26th in his career, thanks to which he made the company the legendary Maurice Richard. More often, only eight league hockey players were distinguished by a triplet, and the leader in this rating was the unrivaled Gretzky (50 times). At the same time, Alexander did it for the 14th time on someone else’s ice and exceeded the achievements of Mike Bossi, Brett Hall and Phil Esposito.

As for the 2019/20 season, Alexander the Great had 34 goals in his track record, which helped him to take second place in the sniper race. The same number of accurate shots on the account of the forward of “Toronto” Oston Matthews, and the striker “Boston” David Pastarnyak only two more.

It is worth adding that if, after the first period, Ovechkin took the tenth place in the ranking of the best snipers in the history of the NHL, then at the end of the game he took another step towards the top. With 692 goals, he not only beat Lemieux, but also caught up with Steve Aizerman. Very soon, the leader of the “capital” can improve its position and become the eighth most successful league hockey player. To do this, he needs to score three more goals in order to get around Mark Messier.

The Russian himself quite restrainedly commented on his success, while focusing on the situation with the contract. The current agreement between Ovechkin and Washington expires in the summer of 2021.

“These are outstanding players. And a special achievement. This is history. It's nice to be in the company of such great names. I have another year and a half under the current contract, so we'll see, ”the NHL press service quotes Ovechkin.

It is not surprising that Ovechkin’s performance in the match against the Islanders caused a real sensation in the hockey world. One of the first to comment on the achievement of the teammate was defender Dmitry Orlov, who also participated in the victory over the New York club. The Russian was marked by two assists - the second of them fell on the third goal of the captain.

“Incredible. Statistics speak for themselves. Now he sets achievements in every game. It is very nice. He’s a great guy, a leader, and today he proved it again, ”Orlov admitted.

He expressed his respect for the game Ovechkin and forward Yakub Vrana. According to him, today has become special in the career of a Russian: “It is a great pleasure to see how he achieves such results. He has a special cast, the best of all that I have seen. Very happy for him. "

Mentor of the Capitals Todd Rearden also admired the game of the ward and expressed the opinion that he has not yet exhausted his potential.

“I can say that for me these hockey players (Lemieux and Aizerman. - RT ) were idols ... Ovechkin went around them, and he still has to play and play. He will rise even higher. It is very nice to see. Alexander had a wonderful last three meetings. Eight goals in three matches is a phenomenal result. He is on the move, and it helps us a lot, ”the expert expressed his opinion.

Trotz also commented on the successes of Ovechkin. He knows firsthand the eighth number of the Capitals, because the Canadian coach led the capital's team for four years and helped her win the Stanley Cup for the first time in history.

“For me, he is currently the best sniper in history. He has an amazing throw, he knows how to choose a position, open under the transmission. And the puck reaches the goal. Most often, goalkeepers do not see her. They just hope that she gets into them, ”said Trotz.

American journalist David Dvork also enthusiastically spoke about Ovechkin and compared him with the legendary Czech hockey player.

“Ovechkin is the Jaromir Jagr of his generation. This guy will score in 50 years, ”wrote Dvork on Twitter.

Admired by the achievement of Ovechkin in Russia. So, the former head coach of the national team, Vyacheslav Bykov, admitted that such a high striker did not come as a surprise to him.

“This is a master from God - a machine that stamps goals. He will still climb this ladder of records. I think that we will see other achievements from him more than once, ”TASS quoted Bykov as saying.

At the same time, he expressed the opinion that Ovechkin was able to get around Gretzky and become the best sniper in the history of the NHL. Wayne is currently ahead of Alexander by 202 goals.

“Any records are set in order to beat them. Everything is possible. Alexander is able to surpass Gretzky. I think that he is capable of this like no other, which I wish him. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is a person who does not stop there and improves his skills. He constantly sets himself the highest goals and tries to achieve them, ”concluded Bykov.

Congratulated Ovechkin and Olympic champion Valery Kamensky. The holder of the Stanley Cup in the “Colorado” wished the captain of “Washington” not to stop there.

“This is an achievement not only of Russian, but of the entire world modern hockey that we live in the era of such a sniper. At the same time, it is very pleasant that the domestic hockey player is breaking these records, ”Kamensky admitted.