We all know about the remarkable scoring prowess of Washington Capitals’s offensive sniper Alex Ovechkin, and his quest this season to be the National Hockey League’s all-time leading scorer. However, it is safe to say that another Capitals player has had a very underrated season. Aliaksei Protas of Vitebsk, Belarus has scored a very quiet 28 goals this season, and on Tuesday he recorded his first NHL career hat trick in a 7-4 Capitals win over the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
How did Protas register his three goals?
Protas’s first goal of the game tied the game at two with one minute and 46 seconds left in the first period. Ovechkin of Moscow, Russia and Pierre-Luc Dubois of Ste-Agathe-Des-Monts, Quebec had the assists. Protas then put the Capitals up 4-3 from Connor McMichael of Ajax, Ontario and Dubois at 4:57 of the third period. Then Protas closed the scoring from Ovechkin and American defenseman John Carlson of Natick, Massachusetts with 17 seconds left in the third period.
Protas in 2024-25
Protas has 28 goals and 30 assists for 58 points. He is a remarkable +39 with 18 penalty minutes, one power-play point, four shorthanded points, five game-winning goals, 125 shots on goal, six faceoff wins, 31 blocked shots, 18 hits, 19 takeaways, and 48 giveaways.
Protas’s +39 leads the National Hockey League. Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb of Davidson, Saskatchewan is second in plus/minus at +35.
Second Belarusian with a NHL hat trick
Protas is the second NHL player all-time from Belarus with a hat trick. The first is Yegor Sharangovich of Minsk, who has accomplished the feat twice in his career–once with the New Jersey Devils and the other with the Calgary Flames.
Tied for the best record in the NHL
The Capitals have 94 points and are one of two teams in the NHL at the top of the standings. They are joined by the Winnipeg Jets.
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