ST. LOUIS — Asked for the umpteenth time about trying to help Braden Holtby tie the single-season wins record, Alex Ovechkin was tired of talking about it. “Let it go,” he said on Thursday night. He figured Holtby was under enough pressure.
But of course Ovechkin still wanted to help Holtby. He recorded a hat trick on Saturday night in a 5-1 win over the St. Louis Blues — reaching a milestone of his own in the process. As far as regular season games with no postseason position at stake go, this one was pretty memorable. Ovechkin reached the 50-goal mark in the same game that Holtby tied Martin Brodeur for the NHL’s single-season wins record with his 48th victory.