13 Hours: Alex Ovechkin's 6 best games this season

Alex Ovechkin is doing what he does best: score.

Now 30, not much has changed - he still leads the NHL in goals and he remains arguably hockey's most exciting player to watch.

The Washington Capitals sniper is worth the price of admission. He keeps fans on the edge of their seats for two hours and 10 minutes - the average length of an NHL game. Halfway through the season, here are Ovechkin's six best games - his finest 13 hours.

1. Joining the club

When Ovechkin looks back on his career, he'll remember Jan. 10, 2016. He scored his 500th career goal that night - from the far circle on the power play, of course. He's the 43rd player in NHL history to reach the milestone, but more importantly, the fifth-fastest and the first Russian to hit the mark.

Only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Mike Bossy, and Brett Hull scored 500 quicker than Ovechkin, who needed 801 games - a stupendous number considering the era he's played in.

Whether Ovechkin is the greatest goal-scorer of all time is up for discussion, but there's zero doubt he's in the conversation.

2. 484

Fact: Ovechkin is the greatest Russian goal-scorer ever. On Nov. 19, 2015, he made sure the world knew it.

Ovie snapped a four-game goalless drought that night, passing Detroit Red Wings legend Sergei Fedorov for the most goals by a Russian-born player. It took Fedorov 1,248 games to reach that mark. Ovechkin needed only 777.

The best part: Ovechkin's entire family was in attendance to watch him make history. And the goal was set up by Nicklas Backstrom, who remarkably enough assisted Fedorov's record-setting goal in 2008.

Ovechkin called the goal "a special moment." One of many.

3. Opening night

Ovechkin is an entertainer. And he put on a show when the curtain opened on the 2015-16 season on Oct. 10.

In a 2-2 game in the third period, Ovie went end to end, down the left wing, and, once over the blue line, passed the puck through his own legs to himself as he went outside poor New Jersey Devils defenseman John Moore. The spectacular move brought Ovechkin below the left circle - and seemingly out of real estate. But he put the puck to his forehand in a flash and went roof, glove side, on Cory Schneider from a near-impossible angle.

Washington wouldn't relinquish the lead.

4. Taking over

The Capitals were down 3-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 18. Halfway through the game, Ovechkin decided he'd had about enough.

Ovie's 15th goal of the season made it 3-1 in the second period, and T.J. Oshie drew Washington within one at 7:54 of the third. Ovechkin did the rest from there, tying the game with 9:58 to play, and assisting on the game-winning marker and the insurance goal.

Two goals and two assists in slightly over 26 minutes against the 2015 Stanley Cup finalists. Yup.

5. 15 shots

Even in defeat, Ovechkin is incredible to watch.

On Nov. 10 in Washington, sitting on 483 goals, tied with Fedorov for the most by a Russian-born player, and with Fedorov in attendance, Ovechkin did everything he could to score the historic goal with his idol in attendance. But it wasn't to be.

The Capitals lost 1-0 to the Red Wings, but Ovechkin was an utter force, firing a career-high-tying 15 shots on goal - 11 more than any player in the game. He played 24:43, and somehow didn't register a shot on goal in the second period. He had more shots in one game in November than some players had taken all season. Salute, Petr Mrazek.

Ovechkin was recently asked about his secret to goal-scoring. He shared.

"Shoot the puck - that's all," he said.

6. Through 4 legs

Ovechkin, as he's proven throughout his career, has a flair for the dramatic. He was at it again only last week against the New York Rangers.

After the Capitals scored the game-tying goal with five seconds to play in the third period, goaltender Braden Holtby's heroics led to Ovechkin's.

Holtby made a stunning pad save on Derek Stepan in overtime, and Ovie found the rebound in the slot. He took the puck behind and around his own net, and did exactly what everyone at Madison Square Garden knew he would: streak down the left wing.

Ovechkin made quick work of Rick Nash at the New York blue line, before cutting into the slot. He opened up Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh with the move to the middle, and fired the puck not only through the defender's legs but also goaltender Henrik Lundqvist's.

The goal - his second of the game - was Ovechkin's 16th career overtime winner, his 499th career goal, and was all the more impressive considering three of the Rangers' best players were dummied on the play.