After blowing a two-goal lead by allowing four unanswered goals in Game 1, the Washington Capitals needed a fast start. And they got it thanks to their captain Alex Ovechkin.
“The Great 8” out-skated the New York Islanders in the zone to corral the loose puck before depositing a backhander past Semyon Varlamov for the early goal 56 seconds into the game. The goal was Ovechkin’s first since the NHL restart. He had went goal-less through the three round-robin games and Game 1 against the Islanders.
Ovechkin now has 66 playoff goals, the most of any NHL player since his playoff debut in 2008, per Capitals PR.
Washington desperately needed to halt the Islanders’ momentum that produced four unanswered goals in Wednesday’s Game 1 of their first-round series. Ovechkin’s hustle to the puck opened the door to giving the Capitals the early 1-0 lead.
