(Sunday, February 1st)

Final Score: Washington 7, Ottawa 4

Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Alex Ovechkin recorded his seventh career hat trick, as the Washington Capitals defeated the Ottawa Senators, 7-4, at the Verizon Center.

The reigning MVP, Ovechkin recorded his second straight multi-goal game and is vying to become a two-time winner of the Rocket Richard trophy, leading the league in goals with 36.

Mike Green registered a goal and three assists for the Capitals, who were coming off an impressive 4-2 win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings on Saturday. Nicklas Backstrom had a goal and an assist, while Sergei Fedorov collected three helpers.

Brent Johnson made 34 saves to improve his record to 9-0-1 at home this season.

Daniel Alfredsson scored twice for the Senators, who have lost three of four. Alex Auld replaced Brian Elliott early in the second period after the rookie netminder was beaten four times on 16 shots. Auld made 11 saves the rest of the way.

Skating in his 900th career contest, Alfredsson put Ottawa on the board, firing a wrist shot from the top of the right circle that got past Johnson 3:31 into the contest.

Washington seized the lead with a couple of quick strikes on the power play.

Backstrom won a faceoff, kicking the puck to the right point for Green, whose rocket eluded the catching glove of Elliott at 9:43, three seconds after Dany Heatley went to the penalty box for hooking. The tally gave the offensively gifted Green 15 on the season, one more than Nashville's Shea Weber for most among defensemen. A first-round pick in 2004, Green led all rearguards with 18 goals last year.

Moments later, Jarkko Ruutu was called for another restraining infraction and the Caps needed just four seconds to convert. Fedorov dished to Green at the right point and he threaded a saucer pass that was one-timed by Ovechkin in the left circle with 9:28 remaining in the first period.

Washington blew the game open with a four-goal outburst in the middle stanza.

Eric Fehr crashed the net and banged in a loose puck 46 seconds into the frame, and Ovechkin lit the lamp at 2:15, using the defenseman as a screen and whipping a shot past the blocker of Elliott, who was removed from the game.

Alfredsson responded for Ottawa at 5:01. A 40-goal scorer a season ago, the Sens captain has just 14 this year.

Alexander Semin made it a 5-2 game with 6:53 remaining. Green flipped the puck ahead to the offensive blueline, as Semin gathered the disc in stride and beat Auld on a forehand-to-backhand deke.

Ovechkin completed the trifecta with 4:29 left in the second period, once again shooting the puck through a defenseman and between the legs of Auld.

Antoine Vermette and Heatley tallied in the third period for Ottawa to trim the deficit to two before Backstrom's empty-net marker in the final minute cemented the win.

Game Notes

The Caps have an amazing 21-3-1 record at home this season...Ottawa is a dismal 6-16-3 on the road and has dropped six straight in the nation's capital.

02/01 15:43:08 ET