The Montreal Canadiens lost to the Washington Capitals in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They lost the first two games on the road but took Game 3 at home. A late-game collapse in Game 4 led to a road game with their playoff lives on the line.

Lo and behold, Ovechkin scored immediately off a faceoff win by Dylan Strome, and the Capitals had a lead they wouldn’t relinquish despite a brutal start to their evening. The goal was Ovechkin’s fourth of the series and third at Capital One Arena. Strome has assisted on them all.

The Washington Capitals looked every bit like the top team in the Eastern Conference most of the time in winning their first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens in five games.