Alex Ovechkin has already accomplished so much in his legendary career, from leading the Washington Capitals to a Stanley Cup in 2018 to winning the Hart Trophy three times and surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s record for the most goals in NHL history. But one thing had eluded him until now — scoring an overtime playoff goal.
That all changed Monday night when Ovechkin netted the game-winner just 2:26 into overtime against the Montreal Canadiens. It was his second goal of the game and his 74th career postseason goal over his two decades in the league. However, it was the first time in 45 career overtime playoff games that he had scored.
“Forty-five games, I know — 45 overtime games,” said teammate Dylan Strome. “It’s great. Not really surprised that he got that one. He’s been on a tear all year. Great pass by Anthony Beauvillier and great finish by O. I think it was out of the air, so it was a great finish.”
Ovechkin downplayed the milestone, saying “a goal is a goal,” but the overtime winner highlighted a standout performance from the 39-year-old winger, who also led the team with seven hits and scored on the power play in the first period.
Coach Spencer Carbery praised Ovechkin for his leadership, saying, “He made a couple of big plays for us tonight, was physical, set the tone. He was leading the charge and dragging guys into the fight.”
Longtime teammate Tom Wilson wasn’t aware of the historical significance of Ovechkin’s goal but quickly turned his focus to praising his teammate’s all-around performance.
“News to me,” Wilson said, before adding, “It’s unbelievable. He’s obviously led us all year. He’s led us for the last 20 seasons for what he’s done for this team. He just continues to step up, man. He’s a playoff player. He does everything.”
Even new teammate Beauvillier found Ovechkin’s absence of overtime playoff goals to be surprising. “Kind of crazy when you think about it,” he said.
Ovechkin’s first goal of the game came on a trademark power-play shot from his familiar spot in the left faceoff circle, which looked nearly identical to the one he used to score his record-breaking 895th goal earlier this year.
Strome remarked, “Pretty similar, eh? That’s what we said when we got back to the bench.”
Wilson, who assisted on both of Ovechkin’s goals, also noticed the similarity. “It looked pretty familiar,” he said. “When I see him get some space, you just want to put it on his tape, and he can score from anywhere.”
Ovechkin’s physicality was also on display from the start of the game, as he delivered a big hit on Montreal’s Mike Matheson just 20 seconds into the first shift. He continued to bring energy throughout the game, earning respect in the locker room not only for his goal-scoring but also for his physical presence.
“He’s a beast,” Wilson said. “He’s a machine. He’s out there creating energy for our team, scoring. … That’s what a leader does. It’s one thing to be good all season long, but the guys that show up and hit and block shots and lead the team, that’s why he’s a legend.”
