Capitals: Top 5 clutch players of the season so far

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Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

#5 Alex Ovechkin

The captain starts this off. He’s number five on this list but number one in our hearts. Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 48 goals on the season. Three of those 48 goals are game-winners.

My favorite moment of those three game-winning goals had to have been the natural hat trick he had against the Los Angeles Kings back in February. The cool thing about that moment was how quiet the building most of the night. Then Ovechkin singlehandedly made it come alive to the tune of “Shake, rattle, and roll” and it put him just two goals away from the big 700.

It wasn’t just any hat trick either. It was a natural hat trick. It propelled him up the ladder of the NHL leaderboard and inched closer to 700 by scoring 696, 697, and 698. It all came alive in the third period late with just over six minutes left and the Caps on the brink of an embarrassing loss.

Todd Reirden told Mike Vogel of WashingtonCaps.com after the game:

"“That’s what superstars do. We’re fortunate to have him – I say it all the time – that D.C. and the surrounding areas are just so fortunate to be able to witness what we’re seeing in front of our eyes and have seen over the last number of years. This is a real, real special player.”"

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