Ovechkin hat trick rallies Caps past Sens in shootout

OTTAWA For all the talk of how much changed with the Washington Capitals, Alex Ovechkin showed what remained the same in the third period at the Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night.

With the Capitals facing an opening-night loss to the Senators, debuting a lineup that was pieced together after off-season roster upheaval, Ovechkin flashed his best form even as his teammates struggled to find theirs.

He scored three goals in less than seven minutes to tie the game, his 18th career hat trick and the first to come on opening night. His effort pushed the game to a shootout, where he found the net again along with teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov to lift the Capitals to a 5-4 win. Goaltender Braden Holtby made 28 saves through overtime.

Washington’s players, coaches and executives have acknowledged the team isn’t as strong on paper as it was a year ago. This Capitals team has flaws, and the off-season departures of Justin Williams and Marcus Johansson left Washington with a lot of goal production to replace. That burden falls largely on Ovechkin, who is coming off a personal down year with 33 goals and just 16 at even strength, which marked a career-low for him.

On Thursday, he scored from his spot in the left faceoff circle. He scored down low in a ticktack-toe passing sequence. And he scored by swatting a puck toward goaltender Craig Anderson, sending hats flying onto the ice in a visiting arena. Washington looked like a team that has kinks to work through this season, but Ovechkin looked like his old self.

After the teams combined for one shot on goal in the first six minutes of the game, an odd-angle shot by Chris Wideman at the half wall slipped past Holtby to give the Senators a 1-0 lead.

But the Capitals tied it less than two minutes later. Centre Lars Eller and winger Brett Connolly were Washington’s only marquee additions to the team last season. Connolly sniped Eller’s pass into the netting for the Capitals’ first goal of this season.

Ottawa got the lead back because of turnovers. Defenceman John Carlson’s pass in the neutral zone was picked off, then forward Mark Stone got the puck in the slot, shooting it over Holtby. Two minutes into the third, defenceman Matt Niskanen had a defensivezone turnover that led to Derick Brassard’s goal and a 3-1 lead.

Ovechkin erased the two-goal deficit shortly after. Stone scored again to put Ottawa ahead again. Ovechkin tied it up again, carrying a team that’s going to need him this season.