Final - OT
Ovechkin's hat trick lifts Capitals over Thrashers
Dec 16, 2006 - 4:50 AM ATLANTA (Ticker) -- Alex Ovechkin again showed why he is one of the most dangerous players in the NHL.Ovechkin completed a hat trick just six seconds into overtime, lifting the Washington Capitals to a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers.
The reigning Calder Trophy winner, Ovechkin now has 21 goals this season, one behind league leaders Brendan Shanahan of the New York Rangers and Marian Hossa of the Thrashers.
"It was very important to get the win," Ovechkin said. "We played very well."
With Washington trailing, 2-1, Ovechkin took a backhand pass from Dainius Zubrus in the slot and snapped a shot between the pads of goaltender Kari Lehtonen with 31 seconds remaining in the third period.
Off the opening faceoff in overtime, the puck squirted to Atlanta's blue line, where Ovechkin gained possession. The 21-year-old Russian superstar carried down the right side and blasted a shot from the faceoff dot over Lehtonen's glove, completing his second career hat trick and giving Washington its sixth win in eight games.
"I'm happy I scored," Ovechkin said. "When you play in the NHL and score a hat trick, it's always special. I just try to shoot the puck and just score goals. Today, I had luck."
"(The puck) was rolling when he shot it, and it was just a lucky bounce," Lehtonen said of the decisive tally. "That's how it goes sometimes."
Ovechkin opened the scoring at 8:55 of the first period, when he redirected a pass from Zubrus past Lehtonen from the edge of the crease while on a power play.
The victory helped erase the bad taste in the Capitals' mouths after squandering a 4-0 lead en route to a 5-4 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.
"I'm just proud of my guys," Washington coach Glen Hanlon said. "I thought it was a solid team win. We came back tonight and played our best game of the year, without a doubt."
J.P. Vigier had given the Thrashers a 2-1 lead with 5:55 to go in the third, when he received a pass from Niko Kapanen and blasted a shot from the right circle between netminder Brent Johnson's pads for his fourth of the season.
Jon Sim also tallied for Atlanta, which has lost four straight.
"It was a game of mistakes, and no one does it on purpose," Atlanta coach Bob Hartley said. "It's a real tough loss to digest because I felt that we could not have played better in the third period. We could say that we are leaving with a point, but that is not acceptable and not good enough. That's a loser's mentality. I feel that we lost a point."
There was no repeat performance from the last time the clubs met on November 22, when Atlanta posted a 4-2 victory. There were nine fighting majors handed out in that contest, leading to the suspensions of Washington's Donald Brashear (three games) and Brian Sutherby (one) as well as Atlanta captain Scott Mellanby (one).
- NHL
FINAL IN OT 1ST 2ND 3RD OT TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
WASHINGTON 1 0 1 1 3
ATLANTA 0 1 1 0 2 FINAL IN OT
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: WAS - (PP) ALEXANDER OVECHKIN 19 (DAINIUS ZUBRUS, JAMIE
HEWARD) 8:55
2ND PRD: ATL - (PP) JON SIM 8 (ILYA KOVALCHUK, VYACHESLAV KOZLOV)
11:08
3RD PRD: ATL - JEAN-PIERRE VIG
Dec 15 10:08 PM - NHL
WASHINGTON 3
ATLANTA 2
OT: WAS - ALEXANDER OVECHKIN 21 (UNASSISTED) 0:06
Dec 15 10:07 PM - NHL
WASHINGTON 3
ATLANTA 2
OT: WAS - ALEXANDER OVECHKIN 21 (UNASSISTED) 0:06
Capitals vs. ThrashersDec 15 10:07 PM - NHL
END OF THE 3RD GOING INTO OT
1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
WASHINGTON 1 0 1 2
ATLANTA 0 1 1 2 GOING INTO OT
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: WAS - (PP) ALEXANDER OVECHKIN 19 (DAINIUS ZUBRUS, JAMIE
HEWARD) 8:55
2ND PRD: ATL - (PP) JON SIM 8 (ILYA KOVALCHUK, VYACHESLAV KOZLOV)
11:08
3RD PRD: ATL - JEAN-PIERRE VIGIER 4 (NIKO KAPANEN) 14:05
WA
Dec 15 10:05 PM - NHL
WASHINGTON 2
ATLANTA 2
3RD PRD: WAS - (PP) ALEXANDER OVECHKIN 20 (DAINIUS ZUBRUS, CHRIS
CLARK) 19:29 (WITH EXTRA ATTACKER)
Capitals vs. ThrashersDec 15 10:04 PM - NHL
WASHINGTON 1
ATLANTA 2
3RD PRD: ATL - JEAN-PIERRE VIGIER 4 (NIKO KAPANEN) 14:05
Capitals vs. ThrashersDec 15 9:52 PM - NHL
END OF THE 2ND 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
WASHINGTON 1 0 1
ATLANTA 0 1 1 END OF THE 2ND
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: WAS - (PP) ALEXANDER OVECHKIN 19 (DAINIUS ZUBRUS, JAMIE
HEWARD) 8:55
2ND PRD: ATL - (PP) JON SIM 8 (ILYA KOVALCHUK, VYACHESLAV KOZLOV)
11:08
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- ---
Dec 15 9:10 PM - NHL
WASHINGTON 1
ATLANTA 1
2ND PRD: ATL - (PP) JON SIM 8 (ILYA KOVALCHUK, VYACHESLAV KOZLOV)
11:08
Capitals vs. ThrashersDec 15 8:52 PM - NHL
END OF THE 1ST 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
WASHINGTON 1 1
ATLANTA 0 0 END OF THE 1ST
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: WAS - (PP) ALEXANDER OVECHKIN 19 (DAINIUS ZUBRUS, JAMIE
HEWARD) 8:55
SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
WAS 14 14
ATL 12 12
GOALIES: WAS - BRE
Dec 15 8:13 PM - NHL
WASHINGTON 1
ATLANTA 0
1ST PRD: WAS - (PP) ALEXANDER OVECHKIN 19 (DAINIUS ZUBRUS, JAMIE
HEWARD) 8:55
Capitals vs. ThrashersDec 15 7:55 PM
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