section_path: Playing career/Washington Capitals (2005–present)/Continued success, Stanley Cup championship and Conn Smythe Trophy (2013–2019)
section_name: Continued success, Stanley Cup championship and Conn Smythe Trophy (2013–2019)
paragraph_text: Continued success, Stanley Cup championship and Conn Smythe Trophy (2013–2019)
  
  On 20 December 2013, in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Ovechkin scored into an empty net for his 400th career goal. He became the sixth-fastest player to ever reach that mark, getting it in 634 games, one fewer than Pavel Bure. At the conclusion of the 2013–14 season, Ovechkin had the strange distinction of winning the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, scoring 51 goals, while going −35, one of the NHL's worst, in the plus-minus statistic. However, the Capitals missed the 2014 playoffs by three points, marking the first time since 2006–07 where Ovechkin and the Capitals missed the playoffs.
  
  On 4 November 2014, in a game against the Calgary Flames, Ovechkin recorded his 826th point, a franchise record, surpassing Peter Bondra, who previously held the record with 825 points. On 31 March 2015, in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Ovechkin scored his 50th goal of the year on Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward and became the sixth player in NHL history to have six 50-goal seasons, joining Guy Lafleur, Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne and Mario Lemieux. On 2 April, Ovechkin scored his 51st and 52nd goals of the season in a 5–4 shootout win against Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens, surpassing Bondra as the franchise leader in goals scored. It was also his 15th multi-goal game of the season, none of which was a hat trick. Ovechkin finished the 2014–15 season with 81 games played and 53 goals, 28 assists and 81 points. His 53 goals once again led the league in goal scoring, capturing his fifth Rocket Richard Trophy as a result. Ovechkin was named a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy for the fifth time in his career and the Ted Lindsay Award for the sixth time, both awards were ultimately awarded to Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price. In the 2015 playoffs, Ovechkin recorded five goals and four assists for nine points in all 14 playoff games as the fourth-seeded Capitals defeated the fifth-seeded New York Islanders in seven games in the first round before getting defeated in the second round in seven games by the Presidents' Trophy -winning New York Rangers (despite the Capitals initially having a 3–1 series lead before the eventual 4–3 series defeat).
  
  On 7 November 2015, shortly into the 2015–16 season, in the second period of a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ovechkin scored his eighth goal of the season to tie Sergei Fedorov 's tally for the most goals among Russian born players, with 483. On 19 November, Ovechkin scored his ninth goal of the season against goaltender Kari Lehtonen in a 3–2 loss to the Dallas Stars; that goal broke Fedorov's record. On 10 January 2016, Ovechkin scored his 500th and 501st goals in a 7–1 victory over the Ottawa Senators against goaltender Andrew Hammond, becoming the 43rd player to reach the 500-goal plateau, and the fifth-fastest player to do so in his 801st game, as well as the first Russian. On 9 April, in the 2015–16 season finale against the St. Louis Blues, Ovechkin scored his 50th goal of the season and became the third player in NHL history to have seven or more 50-goal seasons. During the 2015–16 season, Ovechkin, for the first time in his career, did not lead the Washington Capitals in points, although he still led the team in goals and the entire league with 50 for his sixth Rocket Richard Trophy, and finished second on the team in points with 71, behind fellow countryman Evgeny Kuznetsov, who finished with 77. The Capitals would win the Presidents' Trophy as the regular season champions. Ovechkin was named a finalist for the Mark Messier Leadership Award for his contributions both on and off the ice during the regular season, which was eventually awarded to Nashville Predators defenceman and captain Shea Weber. After defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games in the first round of the 2016 playoffs, the Capitals lost their second-round series to the Pittsburgh Penguins in game six after a 4–3 overtime defeat.
  
  On 11 January 2017, Ovechkin scored his 1,000th career point with a goal on Marc-André Fleury in a 7–1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, becoming the 37th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points with only one team. Ovechkin finished the 2016–17 season playing all 82 games with 33 goals, 36 assists and 69 points to help the Capitals clinch their second consecutive Presidents' Trophy and third in franchise history. In the 2017 playoffs, the Capitals defeated the eighth-seeded Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. Still, they were defeated in the second round for the second consecutive year by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, this time in seven games. In the fallout of their playoff loss, Ovechkin was considered among the greatest players to have never won the Stanley Cup. Upon returning to training camp the following season, Ovechkin arrived in Washington two weeks early and predicted: "We're not going to be suck this year."
  
  Ovechkin broke many NHL and Capitals' records during the 2017–18 season. On 7 October 2017, he became the first player in 100 years with back-to-back hat tricks to start the season against the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, respectively. On 21 October, in a game against the Detroit Red Wings, Ovechkin surpassed Jaromír Jágr for most regular season overtime goals with the 20th of his career. On 25 November, Ovechkin passed Peter Bondra as the team's all-time leader in hat tricks with the 20th of his career. On 25 January 2018, Ovechkin recorded his 500th career assist on a Nicklas Bäckström goal in a 4–2 win over the Florida Panthers. On 12 March, Ovechkin scored his 600th career goal against Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, making him the 20th player to do so, and the fourth to do so in fewer than 1,000 games. On 1 April, Ovechkin would play against the Pittsburgh Penguins in his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the first Capitals player to play 1,000 games and the 54th NHL player to do so with the same franchise. At the conclusion of the season, Ovechkin was awarded the Rocket Richard trophy for the seventh time in his career with his league leading 49 goals. He became the second player, tied with Bobby Hull, to win the NHL's goal scoring title seven times. Besides his 49 goals, Ovechkin also recorded 38 assists for 87 points in all 82 contests played as the Capitals finished as the second seed in the Eastern Conference and fifth in the NHL overall. During the 2018 playoffs, Ovechkin scored 15 goals, 12 assists and 27 points in all 24 games averaging 20:44 of ice time per game. After defeating the seventh-seeded Columbus Blue Jackets in six games in the first round, the Capitals would once again meet their longtime rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the second round for the third straight season; headed by Penguins center and captain Sidney Crosby, Ovechkin's main rival for the greatest player of their generation. Ovechkin assisted on Evgeny Kuznetsov's game six overtime goal for 4–2 defeat in the series against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion and fourth-seeded Penguins to clinch his first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 13 seasons. After defeating the Penguins in round two, Ovechkin would face another main rival of his generation in Tampa Bay Lightning center and captain Steven Stamkos in the Eastern Conference Finals. Ovechkin and the Capitals recovered from a 3–2 series deficit to defeat the top-seeded Lightning in seven games and reach the Stanley Cup Finals, the second time in franchise history (they previously did in 1998 before Ovechkin came to the team), and defeated the second-seeded Vegas Golden Knights in five games to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history and first in Ovechkin's career. Ovechkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player for his team in the playoffs by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
  
  On 6 December 2018, Ovechkin became the fastest player in NHL history and ninth overall to take 5,000 shots on goal, reaching that mark in 1,031 career games. Marcel Dionne, the previous holder of the record, required 184 more games than Ovechkin. He scored the 21st hat trick of his NHL career in a 6–2 win over Detroit Red Wings on 11 December, passing Pavel Bure for most by a Russian-born player in league history. On 14 December in a 6–5 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes, Ovechkin recorded his 23rd career hat trick with one of those goals being the 237th power play goal of his career on Hurricanes goaltender Scott Darling to pass Mario Lemieux for most power play goals with one franchise. Ovechkin had a career-best 14 game point streak from 16 November to 15 December, which included back-to-back hat tricks against the Red Wings on 10 December and Hurricanes on 15 December, respectively. On 2 January 2019, Ovechkin was named a captain for the upcoming 2019 National Hockey League All-Star Game, but announced that he was choosing to skip the game to rest, forcing him to serve an automatic one game suspension as a result. On 5 February, Ovechkin recorded an assist on a T.J. Oshie goal for his 1,180th career point in a 3–2 win over the Vancouver Canucks, surpassing Sergei Federov for the most points recorded by a Russian-born player, doing so in 193 fewer games than Fedorov. Ovechkin ended the 2018–19 season with 51 goals, 38 assists and 89 points in 81 games played while the Capitals as a team finished as the Metropolitan division champions for the fourth consecutive season and the second seed in the Eastern Conference overall for the second consecutive season and fourth in the NHL overall. His 51 goals earned him the Rocket Richard Trophy for the eighth time in his NHL career. Ovechkin would also record four goals and five assists for nine points in all seven playoff games as the defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals were upset in seven games in the first round of the 2019 playoffs by the seventh-seeded Carolina Hurricanes, despite having a 3–2 series lead at one point.
  
  On 20 December 2013, in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Ovechkin scored into an empty net for his 400th career goal. He became the sixth-fastest player to ever reach that mark, getting it in 634 games, one fewer than Pavel Bure. At the conclusion of the 2013–14 season, Ovechkin had the strange distinction of winning the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, scoring 51 goals, while going −35, one of the NHL's worst, in the plus-minus statistic. However, the Capitals missed the 2014 playoffs by three points, marking the first time since 2006–07 where Ovechkin and the Capitals missed the playoffs.
  
  On 4 November 2014, in a game against the Calgary Flames, Ovechkin recorded his 826th point, a franchise record, surpassing Peter Bondra, who previously held the record with 825 points. On 31 March 2015, in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Ovechkin scored his 50th goal of the year on Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward and became the sixth player in NHL history to have six 50-goal seasons, joining Guy Lafleur, Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne and Mario Lemieux. On 2 April, Ovechkin scored his 51st and 52nd goals of the season in a 5–4 shootout win against Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens, surpassing Bondra as the franchise leader in goals scored. It was also his 15th multi-goal game of the season, none of which was a hat trick. Ovechkin finished the 2014–15 season with 81 games played and 53 goals, 28 assists and 81 points. His 53 goals once again led the league in goal scoring, capturing his fifth Rocket Richard Trophy as a result. Ovechkin was named a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy for the fifth time in his career and the Ted Lindsay Award for the sixth time, both awards were ultimately awarded to Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price. In the 2015 playoffs, Ovechkin recorded five goals and four assists for nine points in all 14 playoff games as the fourth-seeded Capitals defeated the fifth-seeded New York Islanders in seven games in the first round before getting defeated in the second round in seven games by the Presidents' Trophy -winning New York Rangers (despite the Capitals initially having a 3–1 series lead before the eventual 4–3 series defeat).
  
  On 7 November 2015, shortly into the 2015–16 season, in the second period of a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ovechkin scored his eighth goal of the season to tie Sergei Fedorov 's tally for the most goals among Russian born players, with 483. On 19 November, Ovechkin scored his ninth goal of the season against goaltender Kari Lehtonen in a 3–2 loss to the Dallas Stars; that goal broke Fedorov's record. On 10 January 2016, Ovechkin scored his 500th and 501st goals in a 7–1 victory over the Ottawa Senators against goaltender Andrew Hammond, becoming the 43rd player to reach the 500-goal plateau, and the fifth-fastest player to do so in his 801st game, as well as the first Russian. On 9 April, in the 2015–16 season finale against the St. Louis Blues, Ovechkin scored his 50th goal of the season and became the third player in NHL history to have seven or more 50-goal seasons. During the 2015–16 season, Ovechkin, for the first time in his career, did not lead the Washington Capitals in points, although he still led the team in goals and the entire league with 50 for his sixth Rocket Richard Trophy, and finished second on the team in points with 71, behind fellow countryman Evgeny Kuznetsov, who finished with 77. The Capitals would win the Presidents' Trophy as the regular season champions. Ovechkin was named a finalist for the Mark Messier Leadership Award for his contributions both on and off the ice during the regular season, which was eventually awarded to Nashville Predators defenceman and captain Shea Weber. After defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games in the first round of the 2016 playoffs, the Capitals lost their second-round series to the Pittsburgh Penguins in game six after a 4–3 overtime defeat.
  
  On 11 January 2017, Ovechkin scored his 1,000th career point with a goal on Marc-André Fleury in a 7–1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, becoming the 37th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points with only one team. Ovechkin finished the 2016–17 season playing all 82 games with 33 goals, 36 assists and 69 points to help the Capitals clinch their second consecutive Presidents' Trophy and third in franchise history. In the 2017 playoffs, the Capitals defeated the eighth-seeded Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. Still, they were defeated in the second round for the second consecutive year by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, this time in seven games. In the fallout of their playoff loss, Ovechkin was considered among the greatest players to have never won the Stanley Cup. Upon returning to training camp the following season, Ovechkin arrived in Washington two weeks early and predicted: "We're not going to be suck this year."
  
  Ovechkin broke many NHL and Capitals' records during the 2017–18 season. On 7 October 2017, he became the first player in 100 years with back-to-back hat tricks to start the season against the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, respectively. On 21 October, in a game against the Detroit Red Wings, Ovechkin surpassed Jaromír Jágr for most regular season overtime goals with the 20th of his career. On 25 November, Ovechkin passed Peter Bondra as the team's all-time leader in hat tricks with the 20th of his career. On 25 January 2018, Ovechkin recorded his 500th career assist on a Nicklas Bäckström goal in a 4–2 win over the Florida Panthers. On 12 March, Ovechkin scored his 600th career goal against Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, making him the 20th player to do so, and the fourth to do so in fewer than 1,000 games. On 1 April, Ovechkin would play against the Pittsburgh Penguins in his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the first Capitals player to play 1,000 games and the 54th NHL player to do so with the same franchise. At the conclusion of the season, Ovechkin was awarded the Rocket Richard trophy for the seventh time in his career with his league leading 49 goals. He became the second player, tied with Bobby Hull, to win the NHL's goal scoring title seven times. Besides his 49 goals, Ovechkin also recorded 38 assists for 87 points in all 82 contests played as the Capitals finished as the second seed in the Eastern Conference and fifth in the NHL overall. During the 2018 playoffs, Ovechkin scored 15 goals, 12 assists and 27 points in all 24 games averaging 20:44 of ice time per game. After defeating the seventh-seeded Columbus Blue Jackets in six games in the first round, the Capitals would once again meet their longtime rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the second round for the third straight season; headed by Penguins center and captain Sidney Crosby, Ovechkin's main rival for the greatest player of their generation. Ovechkin assisted on Evgeny Kuznetsov's game six overtime goal for 4–2 defeat in the series against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion and fourth-seeded Penguins to clinch his first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 13 seasons. After defeating the Penguins in round two, Ovechkin would face another main rival of his generation in Tampa Bay Lightning center and captain Steven Stamkos in the Eastern Conference Finals. Ovechkin and the Capitals recovered from a 3–2 series deficit to defeat the top-seeded Lightning in seven games and reach the Stanley Cup Finals, the second time in franchise history (they previously did in 1998 before Ovechkin came to the team), and defeated the second-seeded Vegas Golden Knights in five games to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history and first in Ovechkin's career. Ovechkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player for his team in the playoffs by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
  
  On 6 December 2018, Ovechkin became the fastest player in NHL history and ninth overall to take 5,000 shots on goal, reaching that mark in 1,031 career games. Marcel Dionne, the previous holder of the record, required 184 more games than Ovechkin. He scored the 21st hat trick of his NHL career in a 6–2 win over Detroit Red Wings on 11 December, passing Pavel Bure for most by a Russian-born player in league history. On 14 December in a 6–5 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes, Ovechkin recorded his 23rd career hat trick with one of those goals being the 237th power play goal of his career on Hurricanes goaltender Scott Darling to pass Mario Lemieux for most power play goals with one franchise. Ovechkin had a career-best 14 game point streak from 16 November to 15 December, which included back-to-back hat tricks against the Red Wings on 10 December and Hurricanes on 15 December, respectively. On 2 January 2019, Ovechkin was named a captain for the upcoming 2019 National Hockey League All-Star Game, but announced that he was choosing to skip the game to rest, forcing him to serve an automatic one game suspension as a result. On 5 February, Ovechkin recorded an assist on a T.J. Oshie goal for his 1,180th career point in a 3–2 win over the Vancouver Canucks, surpassing Sergei Federov for the most points recorded by a Russian-born player, doing so in 193 fewer games than Fedorov. Ovechkin ended the 2018–19 season with 51 goals, 38 assists and 89 points in 81 games played while the Capitals as a team finished as the Metropolitan division champions for the fourth consecutive season and the second seed in the Eastern Conference overall for the second consecutive season and fourth in the NHL overall. His 51 goals earned him the Rocket Richard Trophy for the eighth time in his NHL career. Ovechkin would also record four goals and five assists for nine points in all seven playoff games as the defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals were upset in seven games in the first round of the 2019 playoffs by the seventh-seeded Carolina Hurricanes, despite having a 3–2 series lead at one point.