Alex Ovechkin is on the verge of making history, as he is close to surpassing Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history.
The Capitals star has been one of the best players in the league for two decades, providing scoring at rare rate in league history. That means a lot of hat tricks over the course of his career, and in some cases, more than three goals in a game.
It’s hard to score almost 900 goals without lighting the lamp several times in certain games. As Ovechkin approaches history, here’s a look at his highest-scoring games in the NHL.
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Most goals in a game by Alex Ovechkin
Ovechkin has scored four goals in a game three times. Here’s a breakdown of each time Ovechkin reached that mark.
December 29, 2007 vs. Senators
Ovechkin’s first four-goal game came in 2007, when the Capitals defeated the Senators 8-6 in a high-scoring affair. In this game, Ovechkin scored two even strength goals, one power play goal and one empty net goal, the latter two clinched the victory for Washington.
January 31, 2008 vs. Canadiens
It didn’t take long for Ovechkin to record his second four-goal game, as he did that about a month after his first. In a 5-4 overtime win against Montreal, Ovechkin scored four of Washington’s five scores including the game-winner in overtime.
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December 10, 2013 vs. Lightning
Another dramatic game, Ovechkin carried the Capitals to a 6-5 win over the Lightning in his third four-goal game. Washington was down 3-0 before Ovechkin scored three of the Capitals next four goals to tie the game at four, then he scored again down a goal with less than a minute left in regulation. Washington would go on to win in a shootout, even though Ovechkin didn’t score there.
October 7, 2017 vs. Canadiens
The 2017-18 season was special for Ovechkin, as he an the Capitals won their first Stanley Cup title that year. The season began with a bang, though, as Ovechkin scored four goals in the second game of the year against the Canadiens.
Ovechkin scored three goals in the first period to help Washington take a 4-0 lead into the break, then added another in the second to make the score 5-1. The Capitals won the game 6-1 and improved to 2-0 on the season.
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Most goals scored in a game by one player
| Player | Date | Goals | Team | Opponent |
| Joe Malone | Jan. 31, 1920 | 7 | Quebec Bulldogs | Toronto St. Patricks |
| Darryl Sittler | Feb. 7, 1976 | 6 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Boston Bruins |
| Red Berenson | Nov. 7 1968 | 6 | St. Louis Blues | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Syd Howe | Feb. 3, 1944 | 6 | Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers |
| Cy Denneny | March 7, 1921 | 6 | Ottawa Senators | Hamilton Tigers |
| Corb Denneny | Jan. 26, 1921 | 6 | Toronto St. Patricks | Hamilton Tigers |
| Joe Malone | March 10, 1920 | 6 | Quebec Bulldogs | Ottawa Senators |
| Newsy Lalonde | Jan. 10, 1920 | 6 | Montreal Canadiens | Toronto St. Patricks |
The most goals scored in an NHL game is 7, which occurred over 100 years ago by Joe Malone. Additionally, every player who scored six goals in a game did so in 1976 or earlier.
There is a long list of players who scored five goals in a game, most recently in the 2022 season. Tage Thompson scored five goals with the Sabres against the Blue Jackets on December 7, 2022, while former Sharks forward Timo Meier did the same vs. the Kings on January 17, 2022.
How many career goals does Alex Ovechkin have?
Ovechkin currently has 892 goals in his career, which is just three away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894.
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