WASHINGTON (AP) — Sonny Milano recorded his first hat trick in the NHL, Alex Ovechkin scored again and Washington ended Carolina's winning streak at five with a shootout victory Friday night that could play a pivotal role in their playoff pursuit.
Ovechkin’s goal was the 846th of his NHL career, while Milano scored one of his three juggling the puck off his stick and batting it into the net in front of a fired-up crowd in the nation’s capital. Fans chanted “Ovi! Ovi!” after he scored for the sixth time in four games to reach 24 this season, a run that has upped his chances of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record, and finally threw hats on to the ice after the announcement of Milano’s third goal of the back-and-forth game.