Ovechkin Leads Capitals Over Mammoth with Hat Trick

Washington Capitals bounce back with 7-4 win over Utah Mammoth

Mar. 27, 2026 at 5:27am

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The Washington Capitals defeated the Utah Mammoth 7-4 on Thursday night, led by a hat trick from 40-year-old captain Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals overcame an early 3-1 deficit, with Ovechkin scoring two goals in the second period to tie the game. Anthony Beauvillier and Ivan Miroshnichenko also had multi-point games for Washington.

Why it matters

Ovechkin's performance shows he is still an elite goal-scorer at age 40, as he continues his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record. The Capitals bounced back from a rough outing in their previous game, demonstrating their resilience and offensive firepower.

The details

The Capitals fell behind 3-1 in the first period after goals from Utah's Dylan Guenther and a power-play tally from Logan Cooley. However, Ovechkin sparked the comeback with two second-period goals to tie the game. In the third period, Beauvillier and Miroshnichenko added goals to give Washington a 6-4 lead, and Ovechkin completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal in the final minute.

  • The Capitals opened the scoring just two minutes into the game.
  • With just two minutes left in the first period, a hit from Utah's Brandon Tanev on Matt Roy led to a fight between Tanev and Washington's Tom Wilson and Trevor van Riemsdyk.
  • Ovechkin scored his first goal of the game early in the second period to cut Utah's lead to 3-2.
  • Ovechkin tied the game at 3-3 with his second goal of the second period.
  • Beauvillier's power-play goal in the third period gave Washington a 4-3 lead.

The players

Alex Ovechkin

The 40-year-old Washington Capitals captain recorded his 34th career hat trick, scoring three goals in the game to lead his team to victory.

Ivan Miroshnichenko

The young Russian forward scored two goals for the Capitals, including the opening tally of the game, in his first multi-goal game of the season.

Anthony Beauvillier

The Capitals forward scored a goal and added an assist in the third period to help Washington pull away.

Tom Wilson

The Capitals forward was involved in multiple physical altercations, totaling 21 penalty minutes on the night.

Brandon Tanev

The Utah Mammoth forward's hit on Matt Roy led to a fight with Wilson and van Riemsdyk.

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What’s next

The Capitals will conclude their three-game road trip on Saturday as they visit the Vegas Golden Knights, where they won the Stanley Cup in 2018.

The takeaway

At 40 years old, Alex Ovechkin continues to prove he is one of the NHL's elite goal-scorers, leading the Capitals to an important bounce-back victory over the Mammoth. The team's resilience and offensive firepower were on full display in this win.