Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin on Sunday was named the NHL’s First Star of the Month.
In December, the Capitals’ captain scored 13 goals and tallied nine assists. His 22 assists were the most of any Washington player and tied for second in the NHL.
Also during the month, the 37-year-old tallied two hat tricks — including on Saturday in Washington’s 9-2 win over Montreal.
But the main reason he was awarded the first star was for passing the great Gordie Howe for No. 2 on the NHL’s all-time goals list. Ovechkin tied and passed Howe on Dec. 23. He now has 806 career goals and is 89 away from passing Wayne Gretzky.
Ovechkin’s great month helped Washington (21-13-5) turn its season around. The Capitals were below .500 entering the month, but they went 11-2-2 in their 15 December contests to move into third place in the Metropolitan Division.
The 13 goals Ovechkin scored are the second most he’s ever scored in a single month. He’s scored 14 goals three times in his career: March 2008, October 2009 and April 2013.
In 39 games this season, the Russian winger has scored 26 goals — a 54-goal pace. Ovechkin entered Sunday tied for third in the NHL in goals scored.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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