Ovechkin shrugs off 1st playoff OT winner: 'A goal is a goal'
Alex Ovechkin has 971 goals between the regular season and playoffs, but Monday's was his first overtime winner in the postseason.
Unsurprisingly, the sniper wasn't too moved by his career first after his extra-period heroics lifted the Washington Capitals to a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1.
"A goal is a goal," Ovechkin said. "It doesn't matter in the playoffs - especially in OT - who scores."
Ovechkin may have been relatively blase, but his goaltender found himself in awe of the veteran forward.
"The guy's the best player in the world, right?" said Logan Thompson, who turned aside 33 of 35 shots. "What else can you say? He comes in clutch today, all game. I think he had a part on all the goals. It's awesome to see, it's a privilege to be his teammate."
Before potting the overtime winner, Ovechkin opened the scoring on the power play in the late stages of the first frame and assisted on Anthony Beauvillier's second-period marker. His two-goal outing gives him 74 playoff tallies in 152 games, tying him with Joe Pavelski for the 13th most all time. He's only five away from cracking the top 10.
"He doesn't need much time and space," Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "He scores two big goals tonight, right? That's kind of what he does."
It was a promising eruption for the Capitals captain, who was held without a point in four games as the New York Rangers swept Washington in the first round last spring.
Ovechkin also led both teams with seven hits in Game 1 against Montreal.
"He's a beast. He's a machine," Capitals forward Tom Wilson said. "When he's out there creating energy for our team, scoring, he does it all. He does everything for us. That's what a leader does. ... That's why he's a legend."
Though Ovechkin ultimately saved the day, it was a rocky finish for Washington. The Capitals held a 2-0 lead heading into the third, but the Canadiens struck twice in the final 10 minutes to force overtime.
Wilson knows his team can't let up moving forward.
"Our third period, we were just a little bit too passive," he said. "Took our foot off the gas, allowed them to make plays, allowed them to get a little bit more time with the puck. We knew that, we just regrouped. It was pretty calm."
Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.