4 hours Ago By Clark Dalton, Yardbarker
Washington Capitals left winger Alex Ovechkin must dislike dressing up. On Wednesday night, a Sportsnet segment revealed Ovechkin would immediately untie his tie when he entered the arena in Washington's first-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens (h/t the NHL's X account). Perhaps he just wanted to loosen up.
No bigger rivalry than the one between Alex Ovechkin and wearing his tie #StanleyCup : @espn ➡️ https://t.co/m0LyTCHYnH : @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.
twitter.com/aF4TEWpSIq Entering Game 5 against Montreal on Wednesday, the Capitals hadn't made it out of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs since the 2017-18 season. They needed Ovechkin to excel in the series against the Canadiens to end the drought.
It's safe to say he did. Early in the first period against Montreal, Ovechkin netted a power-play goal on a shot off a faceoff. The goal was the 39-year-old's 76th in the postseason, 30 of which have come on power plays.
The future Hall of Famer is now tied with Mario Lemieux for the 12th-most playoff goals in league history, via NHL Public Relations. OVI RIGHT OFF THE FACEOFF pic.twitter.
com/ggD7leqzLu Alex Ovechkin scored his 76th career playoff goal – 30 of which have come on the power play – and tied Mario Lemieux for the 12th most in NHL history. Catch him in action now on @espn , @Sportsnet , @TVASports , CBC. #NHLStats : https://t.
co/zYfipNph7P pic.twitter.com/s66P4OlmAj Ovechkin's early goal propelled the Capitals to a 4-1 victory over Montreal.
The 12-time All-Star delivered throughout the series. In five games, he logged four goals, including the winner in overtime in Game 1 . The Capitals need Ovechkin to stay sharp in their second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Carolina should present a much tougher matchup for Washington than Montreal. The Hurricanes dispatched the Devils in five games in their first-round series. As of Wednesday night, FanDuel Sportsbook gives them the fifth-best odds (+470) to win the Stanley Cup.
However, the last time Washington made it out of the first round of the playoffs, it went on to win the Stanley Cup. With Ovechkin rolling, that gives the Capitals a solid chance to capture their second championship. Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.
He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.
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