Takeaways: Ovechkin Hits 800 As Capitals Roll Blackhawks

Going into Tuesday's matchup between the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals, all eyes were on Alex Ovechkin. And he put on quite the show.

Ovechkin scored a historic hat trick to hit 800 goals, and the Capitals steamrolled the Blackhawks 7-3.

The Capitals have now won five straight games and are one point out of a Wild Card spot.

Here are all the takeaways from the win:

Alex Ovechkin Makes History

Ovechkin entered this game with 797 career goals, and he wasted no time getting to 800.

Just 24 seconds in, Ovechkin scored to make it 1-0. Minutes later, he'd make it 2-0 to put himself within one of 800.

Then, after getting an assist on Trevor van Riemsdyk's second-period strike, the 37-year-old would hit the milestone in the third period. A turnover behind the net led to a rebound and a wide-open cage in front. Ovechkin made no mistake for his 800th career goal, which cleared the bench as his teammates came out to celebrate with him.

Ovechkin is now two goals shy of passing Gordie Howe for second on the NHL's all-time goals list and 95 from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record.

Mantha, Dowd, TVR Stay Hot

Going into Tuesday, the Capitals have gotten strong play from across the lineup, and the same players impressed big time on Tuesday.

Van Riemsdyk scored in the second period and now has goals in back-to-back games.

Dowd would follow up with his fifth of the season and now has points in three of his last five outings.

Meanwhile, Anthony Mantha would extend his point streak to four games with another multi-point outing. No. 39 scored his eighth of the season and also assisted on Ovechkin's 100th tally.

Additional Ice Chips

– Evgeny Kuznetsov assisted on Ovechkin's 800th goal and now has points in six straight games.

– Dmitry Orlov scored his first goal of the season and his first since April 16, 2022 (21 games).

– Nicolas Aube-Kubel had a strong outing in his first game back from being a healthy scratch over this last stretch. He got his first point as a member of the Capitals and also looked solid on that line with Dowd and Garnet Hathaway.

– Dylan Strome got an assist in his Chicago homecoming.