Alex Ovechkin impresses with another milestone night and controversial hit on Cole Caufield

Alex Ovechkin put another great chapter in his legendary NHL career, netting his first overtime playoff goal to power the Washington Capitals to an incredible Game 1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. The 39-year-old winger, already the league's record scorer in regulation, netted two goals for the night, including the winner in OT, and gave himself 74 career playoff goals to move him into a tie for 13th all-time with Joe Pavelski for Stanley Cup playoff goals.

The goal, which arrived at 2:26 of overtime, was not only a personal milestone for Ovechkin—it was proof of his ongoing dominance in an era when most players have long since disappeared. The crowd went wild as Anthony Beauvillier created the historic moment with a clever rebound feed, allowing Ovechkin to slide the puck past Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault.
While the win gave Washington an early lead in the best-of-seven series, all was not adoration for the game. Early in the first period, Alex Ovechkin checked into Cole Caufield, crashing the Canadiens' winger into the boards—an occurrence that quickly ignited a firestorm of reactions on social media.
The hit immediately went viral after Sportsnet shared the clip on X (formerly Twitter), with fans strongly divided. Some referred to it as a clean play by an experienced player establishing physical dominance; others viewed it as blatant interference, pointing out that Caufield did not have the puck when contact was made.
“Is that not interference? The puck is 2 strides behind Ovi, and Caufield never even played the puck,” a fan questioned, expressing a sentiment found on social media.
Not everything was negative, however. Fans applauded Ovechkin's return to his old ways, mentioning his history of injury and more tepid approach in previous seasons. One fan summed it up: “Alex Ovechkin nails Cole Caufield with a hit to the boards and the crowd broke out in Ovi chants.”
With his two-goal effort in Game 1, the Russian icon recorded his 10th multi-goal playoff game of his career and joined an elite club of players with more than 70 playoff goals. He also currently stands at 29 career power-play playoff goals, 8th all-time in NHL history.
This show follows shortly after Ovechkin made news for breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goal record, reaching his 895th career goal earlier this month in front of Gretzky himself. That record stopped an entire game, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd and stick taps from players on both benches.
Also read: Alex Ovechkin still has to defeat Wayne Gretzky’s record
As the Stanley Cup Playoffs rage on, one thing's certain: Alex Ovechkin is far from finished writing his legend. Whether in record-shattering goals or contentious plays, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin remains the focus of the NHL universe.