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WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin stretched out his arms in celebration, teammates mobbed him along the boards and jubilant fans launched their hats onto the ice.This was the performance they had waited to see.Ovechkin scored his first hat trick this season and 16th of his 10-year NHL career to lead the Washington Capitals over the St. Louis Blues 4-3 on Wednesday night.In the process, the three-time MVP and six-time goal-scoring champ showed the attitude that echoed his best seasons.He played with excitement again, Capitals coach Barry Trotz said of Ovechkin, whose 12 goals now tie him for second in the league. I think sometimes we say hes not scoring enough and all that. . Ive been reducing the minutes a little bit and spreading them out. Hes fresher and I think it will pay off in the long run.The 31-year-old Ovechkin played fewer than 16 minutes but had a goal in each period to move one hat trick ahead of Floridas Jaromir Jagr for the most among active players.Ovechkins second multi-goal game this season also propelled the Capitals to their third win through four games of a five-game homestand.Sometimes you just feel right away when you have an opportunity to shoot the puck, Ovechkin said, and obviously feel the puck on your stick and just go out there and use the momentum.Capitals linemate Evgeny Kuznetsov also scored and added an assist for Washington, which held a lead throughout the final two periods.The biggest thing is they were moving their feet and they were making plays, and they were decisive in what they were doing, Trotz said of the line that also included Andre Burakovsky.Vladimir Tarasenko got his eighth and ninth goals of the season for St. Louis, which scored twice in the final 75 seconds. Alex Pietrangelo added a late goal for the Blues, who had won four straight.The Blues fell behind after a first period in which they committed four penalties, the last of which led to Ovechkins first goal.When you dont use your legs, you end up using your stick, and thats whats happened, St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. Theres too many of them early in the game. It sends the wrong message to the rest of the team.Ovechkin had already scored twice before Kuznetsovs goal made it 3-1 early in the third. And after a replay review found Ovechkin not to be guilty of being offside, he sent the home crowd into a frenzy only 24 seconds later.From a faceoff in the Caps end, he got the puck near his own blue line on the left and pushed forward quickly. With a man open to his right, Ovechkin instead unleashed a ferocious shot at full stride that caromed off goalie Carter Huttons glove and into the top left corner.Its fun to watch when hes making the shot and when hes feeling it, Kuznetsov said. Its tough to stop him.On a power play in the first, Ovechkin took Kuznetsovs feed and rifled a wrist shot that skimmed off and over Huttons left shoulder.Ovechkin made it 2-0 in the second when he took John Carlsons cross-ice feed and fired a slap shot from a similar spot inside the left faceoff circle off the goalies blocker.Game notes Ovechkin is one power-play goal shy of becoming the 18th player in NHL history to reach 200. ... Tarasenko has 13 points in his last 10 games. ... Capitals C Lars Eller (upper body) returned after a one-game absence, but RW T.J. Oshie (upper body) missed his second game. ... Washington outshot St. Louis 10-2 during the first period.UP NEXT:Blues: Begin a five-game homestand against Minnesota on Saturday.Capitals: Close a five-game homestand Friday against Buffalo. Nike Air Force 1 Clearance . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Nike Air Force 1 Sale . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. http://www.airforce1wholesale.com/ . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. Cheap Nike Air Force 1 From China .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. Wholesale Nike Air Force 1 Online . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval has started doing defensive drills as part of his rehab program following season-ending left shoulder surgery in May.Sandoval joined his teammates for Wednesday nights game at Tampa Bay. He took pregame grounders at third, and made throws to first and second base.I feel a lot better, said Sandoval, who has been working out six days a week at the Red Sox spring training complex in Fort Myers. Its not back to noormal, but feeling a lot better.dddddddddddd Im happy to be back here with my teammates. Happy to start doing work.He has not been cleared to start hitting. Sandoval is expected to be ready for spring training next year.The 30-year-old Sandoval played three games in his second season with Boston. He was the 2012 World Series MVP with San Francisco. ' ' '