* Alex Ovechkin scored his 28th career hat trick and tied Marcel Dionne and Bobby Hull for the sixth most in NHL history.
* Kirill Kaprizov notched his second four-point outing in five games to propel the Wild to their second seven-goal performance of 2021-22.
* Andrei Vasilevskiy (200 wins) and Joe Pavelski (400 goals) each celebrated milestones as the Lightning and Stars skated to victories Friday.
OVECHKIN NETS 28TH CAREER HAT TRICK, FIRST OF 2021-22
Alex Ovechkin (3-0—3) scored his 28th career hat trick and 117th game-winning goal as the Capitals (13-3-5, 31 points) defeated the Panthers (14-3-3, 31 points) to earn their fourth straight win at Capital One Arena. Friday marked Ovechkin’s third career hat trick against Florida, tied for his most against one opponent (also 3 vs. OTT).
* Ovechkin registered his sixth game with at least three points this season and third in his past four outings, a stretch that has seen him tally 6-4—10. Ovechkin (18-18—36 in 21 GP), who overtook Brendan Shanahan on the NHL’s all-time points list, now trails only Leon Draisaitl (20-20—40 in 19 GP) in points this season.
* At 36 years, 70 days, Ovechkin became the oldest player to score a hat trick for the Capitals. Peter Bondra (35 years, 295 days on Nov. 29, 2003) previously held that distinction.
KIRILL THRILLS IN WILD’S SEVEN-GOAL FRIDAY
After donning special Native American Heritage jerseys during warmup, Kirill Kaprizov (1-3—4) factored on four of the Wild’s seven goals as the club matched its highest output this season (also Nov. 18). Minnesota became the fourth team to record multiple seven-goal outings in 2021-22, joining Colorado (3x), Columbus (2x) and St. Louis (2x).
* Kaprizov, who posted his first career four-point outing on Nov. 18 (1-3—4), became the third player in Wild history to record multiple four-point games in a span of five contests – Eric Staal and Mikael Granlund each did so in 2017-18.
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* The Wild, who have scored nine consecutive goals against the Jets (6 on Friday and 3 on Oct. 9), have 14 goals over their past two home games – a first in franchise history.
HURRICANES SET FRANCHISE BENCHMARK EN ROUTE TO 15TH WIN
After Carolina tied the game three times, Sebastian Aho (2-0—2) and Andrei Svechnikov (1-0—1) each recorded their 20th point of 2021-22 to help the Hurricanes (15-3-1, 31 points) require the fewest games in franchise history to reach 15 wins in a season.
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VASILEVSKIY, PAVELSKI POST MILESTONE NIGHTS FRIDAY
Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (17 saves) and Stars forward Joe Pavelski (2-0—2) each reached career milestones Friday, with the former collecting his 200th win and the latter reaching the 400-goal mark.
* Vasilevskiy (200-86-22, 2.48 GAA, .920 SV%, 28 SO) posted his second straight shutout and the 28th of his career to become the second-fastest netminder in NHL history to 200 wins.
* Pavelski (400-455—855 in 1,104 GP), who scored the fastest two goals to start a game in Stars/North Stars history (91 seconds), helped Dallas snap Colorado’s six-game win streak. Pavelski (Round 7, 205th overall by SJS in 2003) became the sixth player in NHL history drafted in the seventh round or later to reach the mark, joining Luc Robitaille, Peter Bondra, Theo Fleury, Doug Gilmour and Dave Taylor.
FOX, RANGERS TAKE DOWN BRUINS IN 2021 NHL THANKSGIVING SHOWDOWN
In a game broadcast on ABC and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes, Adam Fox (0-2—2) was one of five New York skaters with multiple points as the Rangers (13-4-3, 29 points) won the 2021 Thanksgiving Showdown and recorded their best 20-game start to a season since 2016-17 (14-5-1, 29 points).
RED WINGS SET TO HOST HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER AWARENESS NIGHT
The Red Wings (9-9-3, 21 points), with wins in each of their past two games at Little Caesars Arena, are set to host their Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Night when the Sabres (8-10-2, 18 points) come to town.
PANTHERS CHASE NHL HISTORY ON HOME ICE
The Panthers (14-3-3, 31 points), who return to FLA Live Arena after a loss in Washington on Friday, will host the Kraken (6-13-1, 13 points) in the first-ever meeting between the franchises. Florida has the opportunity to set an NHL record for the longest home winning streak to begin a season – its current 11-game run is tied with the 1963-64 Black Hawks for the longest in League history.
