Alex Ovechkin Hat Trick, Joe Thornton's 1,500th Point and Top NHL Highlights

Two of the living legends playing in the National Hockey League continued to set their respective marks on the record books Tuesday. 

Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin moved closer to yet another milestone by taking his career goal total up to 698 through a hat trick against the Los Angeles Kings. 

Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks did not score Tuesday, but he produced two assists to become the 14th player in league history to reach 1,500 points. 

The pair of accomplishments stood out among a night chock full of terrific performances over 13 games. 

Tuesday NHL Scores

Boston 4, Vancouver 0

Colorado 6, Buffalo 1

Tampa Bay 4, Vegas 2

Montreal 5, New Jersey 4 (Final/Shootout)

New York Islanders 4, Dallas 3 (Final/OT)

Washington 4, Los Angeles 2

Columbus 1, Florida 0 (Final/OT)

Anaheim 3, Ottawa 2 (Final/Shootout)

St. Louis 6, Carolina 3

Minnesota 3, Chicago 2 (Final/OT)

Nashville 2, Winnipeg 1 (Final/OT)

San Jose 3, Calgary 1

Arizona 3, Edmonton 0

Alex Ovechkin's Hat Trick

David Krejci Goes Top Corner

Kevin Labanc's Backhand Tally

Tuukka Rask's 25-Save Shutout

Zach Werenski Wins Game for Columbus

Mat Barzal Scores Between His Legs

Brent Burns' Slapshot Goal off Turnover

Nazem Kadri's Left-Wing Blast

"

Absolutely cranked by Nazem Kadri (@43_Kadri)! Your Shot of the Night, folks.

NHL x @JagermeisterUSA pic.twitter.com/HlL87fLry1

— NHL (@NHL) February 5, 2020"

Steven Stamkos' Game-Winning Goal

Zach Sanford Scores Twice For St. Louis 

Ilya Kovalchuk Wins Shootout For Montreal

Matt Dumba Sends Minnesota Home A Winner

Mikael Granlund's Overtime Heroics

Ovechkin Moves Closer to 700th Goal

Ovechkin put on a stunning display in the third period, as he found the back of the net on three occasions in four minutes and 24 seconds. 

The trio of tallies moved Ovechkin two goals away from the 700th in his career, and it took him to the top of this season's NHL scoring chart, as NHL Public Relations noted: 

The natural hat trick was the latest performance to impress Washington head coach Todd Reirden, per NHL.com's Harvey Valentine.

"That's impressive and just tonight sums it all up: In less than five minutes, he took over the game," Reirden said. "We win the game because of that. That's what superstars do. … This is a real, real special player."

With his three-goal performance, Ovechkin surged past David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins for the scoring lead, and in the process, he became the first player this season to reach 40 goals. 

Once he eclipses 700 goals, Ovechkin has a chance to pass a few scoring legends before the regular season concludes. Mike Gartner is seventh all-time in goals with 708, and Phil Esposito is sixth with 717. 

Ovechkin has eight 50-goal seasons on his resume, and if he hits that mark again, he could move up from eighth all-time in goals. 

Tuesday's victory was also important in the Eastern Conference playoff race, as the Capitals remained one point ahead of the Bruins for home-ice advantage and six above the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metropolitan Division. 

Thornton Earns 1,500th Point

The 1,084th and 1,085th assists of Thornton's career helped him become the 14th player in league history to reach 1,500 points. 

The 40-year-old produced helpers on goals scored by Brent Burns and Kevin Labanc in San Jose's 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames. 

Thornton, who has two goals and 20 assists in 54 games this season, received praise from Sharks head coach Bob Boughner about his record and form this season, per NHL.com's Mike Battaglino:

"It's amazing. We all knew where he was sitting, obviously, before the game. Just to see the way those goals were scored and what he did to create those ... his hard work, his vision, hard stick, heavy stick ... he won some battles. He's playing, I think, some of the best hockey I've seen him play in the last couple of years, really. Who knows what he's got left in the tank, but he just keeps going."

Thornton joined Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jaromir Jagr and Gordie Howe among others as players with 1,500 points. 

He is 14th on the all-time list, with Paul Coffey the closest player to him with 31 more points from his career. 

The victory ended San Jose's two-game losing streak, and it was the team's second win since January 14. 

Wednesday NHL Schedule

Toronto at New York Rangers (7:30 p.m. ET) 

Boston at Chicago (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN)

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from NHL.com