WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin's goal-scoring ability – quite literally — transcends time.
With a hat trick on Sunday in a dominant 7-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers, the Washington Capitals captain hit another impressive milestone and added to the record book, becoming the first player in NHL history to score at least 200 goals in three different decades (2000s, 2010s and 2020s).
He now has a total of 29 on the season and 882 in his career, moving him within 13 of breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record.
"Game by game," he said postgame, a reminder that he's not getting too far ahead of himself.
Ovechkin won't put too much stock into the record, the writing's on the wall. Hitting 895 — a number once thought to be unreachable — is now imminent.
All the while, he's 39 and continuing to prove that age is just a number as he scores at the fastest pace of his 20-year career.
"I've never seen a guy so hungry," teammate Tom Wilson said. "Some guys score and think, 'Okay, I had a good night.' He comes back to the bench, he's asking if he can go out again, like right away."
When it comes to what makes Ovechkin such a constant in the goal-scoring world, the answer is simple: his shot.
He's never lost that strength or scoring touch, and whether it's a one-timer from the office or a signature snapshot from the slot, Ovechkin is able to put everything he has into each attempt on net, and to this day, defensemen and goaltenders alike have still not fully figured out how to stop him.
"Every time it goes in (I'm mesmerized by it), for sure," Dylan Strome said of Ovechkin's shot, adding, "It doesn't matter who's in net. I feel like on those types of shots where he's coming down, he can pull it and shoot it at either side."
"I don't care who the goalie is — that's such a tough save (to make)," Lindgren added. "... He just scores in so many different ways. And just — he's the best hockey player in the world."
Washington has 25 games to go in the regular season and sits atop the Eastern Conference. A lot of excitement awaits the team in the spring between the goals record and the playoffs, but Ovechkin again stressed the importance of not getting too ahead.
Still, it's quite a sight to behold.
“I don’t know who I said it to, but you can’t write this stuff. You cannot write a story and a book of what he’s doing right now at 39. The goals he’s scoring... it's just incredible."