Watch: Capitals win Game 1 after first playoff OT goal from Alex Ovechkin

It was Ovechkin's second goal of the night. He opened the game with a power play strike in the first period to put Washington up 1-0 early.

Montreal stormed back in the third period to tie the game at 2-2 but it was only appropriate that Ovechkin's heroics would cap off Washington's first Stanley Cup Playoff game of the postseason.

Ovechkin now has 10 multi-goal playoff performances in his 20-season career. Monday's effort means he's tallied 971 NHL goals (regular season and playoffs combined), trailing only Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky who has 1,016.

"The Great Eight," as he's called, passed "The Great One" earlier in April for most regular season NHL goals all-time when he scored his 895th career goal. Ovechkin finished the 2024-25 season with 897 and will likely become the first player in league history to record 900 career goals next year.

Washington, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, will host Game 2 against Montreal on Wednesday and will be looking to gain a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.