Washington Hockey Insider has no direct affiliation to the Washington Capitals, NHL or NHLPA
"Don't Recommend It": Cole Caufield feels Alex Ovechkin's hit as Washington take Game 1, then Game 2
Photo credit: Imagn Images
Alex Ovechkin made sure everyone knew playoff hockey had arrived and the Montreal Canadiens felt it first in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.
In Washington's 3-2 overtime win in Game 1, Alex Ovechkin didn't just score twice including the OT winner, he also threw his weight around, too.
One of his seven hits came late in the second period, when he entered in contact with Cole Caufield with a shoulder-to-chest check that sent the Canadiens forward into the boards.
«I Don't recommend it,» Caufield joked with ESPN's Emily Kaplan during the intermission.
The small winger returned without issue and even sparked Montreal's third-period comeback with the team's first goal of the playoffs.
Though Montreal forced overtime with goals from Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, Alex Ovechkin had the final say by burying a pass from Anthony Beauvillier at the beginning of the sudden death to seal Game 1.
At 39 years and 216 days, he became the oldest player in NHL history to score a playoff overtime winner and record three points in a game and Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery called Ovechkin's performance everything you want from a leader in the playoffs.
Martin St.LOuis also said that after the game:
«I feel like in terms of what we tried to do out there tonight, I thought it was a pretty good first game,» St. Louis said. «There was a lot of good stuff. Unfortunately, you don't win, but we got some really good stuff from this game.»
The Canadiens had a chance to even the series in Game 2, but Washington controlled the pace in a 3-1 win on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 series lead.
The series now shifts to Bell Centre, where Montreal will look to bounce back in front of a full home crowd Friday and it's the first time since 2017 that postseason hockey returns to a packed house.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 24 | 76 ANSWERS "Don't Recommend It": Cole Caufield feels Alex Ovechkin's hit as Washington take Game 1, then Game 2 Do you think the Washington Capitals can win the series in four games against the Montreal Canadiens? | ||
| Yes | 34 | 44.7 % |
| No | 42 | 55.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
