Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin added to his historic 2024-25 season with the first goal of Washington’s Stanley Cup playoffs run.
During a power play in the first period of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series with the Canadiens, Ovechkin broke a scoreless tie 18 minutes and 34 seconds into the game off a snap shot following a beautiful pass across the ice from forward Tom Wilson.
Ovechkin’s shot somehow got under Canadiens defenseman David Savard, who tried to block the puck with his right leg, before finding the back of the net.
Per the ESPN broadcast, Ovechkin’s goal tied him with Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux for the seventh-most playoff power-play goals (29) in NHL history.
The 12-time All-Star broke legend Wayne Gretzky’s longstanding league record for career goals (894) on April 6 and ended the season at 897. Ovechkin, 39, led the Caps with 44 goals, becoming the oldest player since Hall of Fame former Red Wings forward Gordie Howe, who had 44 goals in his age-40 season (1968-69), to score at least 40 goals in a season. (h/t Stathead)
The Capitals entered the Stanley Cup playoffs with an Eastern Conference-high 111 points, ranking second in the league in goals scored (286) and eighth in goals allowed (229). Washington hasn’t won a playoff series since winning the 2018 Stanley Cup, suffering five consecutive first-round postseason exits.
The Caps have a long way to go before ending their drought, but Ovechkin gave them an excellent start.
