Stanley Cup playoffs takeaways: Alex Ovechkin adds to historic career with OT winner

The Stanley Cup playoffs heated up with four games on Monday, including two overtime thrillers.

Here are our takeaways from an excellent night of playoff hockey:

Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin's heroics

A magical season became an even bigger fairytale on Monday for the NHL's all-time leading goal-scorer as Ovechkin bookended Washington's 3-2 Game 1 overtime win over the Canadiens with the game's first and last goal, including the first overtime goal of his illustrious career.

Ovechkin broke a scoreless tie with a goal from his sweet spot at the left face-off circle, firing a low shot underneath Canadiens defenseman David Savard's leg and past goalie Sam Montembeault. The 12-time All-Star sealed the victory with his overtime goal, finding the puck near the net

"It's only the first game," a stoic Ovechkin told ESPN's Emily Kaplan following the win, underselling his achievement. 

Not only did Ovechkin add another memorable moment to a season full of them, he drastically improved Washington's odds of advancing to the second round of the playoffs since it won the Stanley Cup in 2018. The Game 1 winner in a best-of-seven series has a 68% series win rate.

Ovechkin's big game wasn't just a cool story. It could be the spark the Caps need to win their second Stanley Cup.

Caulfield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky line is a problem

Washington will likely need more Ovechkin heroics as the series progresses, because Montreal's sensational line trio will keep things close. Forwards Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky nearly willed the Canadiens to a stunning comeback victory, taking over the game in the third period.

Per Natural Stat Trick, in the trio's 14:31 time on ice together, the Canadiens had a 77.8 Corsi rate, taking 28 of the game's 36 shots in that timeframe.

Montreal needs its other lines to step up. If they do, the Canadiens could spoil Ovechkin's Game 1 winner.

Jets kill the power play

The Jets put the Blues on the ropes with a 2-1 win, taking a 2-0 series lead, despite giving St. Louis ample opportunities to tie the series.

The Blues couldn't take advantage of their four power plays, scoring once. The Jets did a phenomenal job of keeping St. Louis from getting good looks at the net. On their second and fourth power plays, the Blues failed to record a shot on goal. (h/t Natural Stat Trick)

Per MoneyPuck, Winnipeg allowed 259 shots on goal during 4-on-5s in the regular season, the league's fourth-fewest. The Jets, the 2024-25 Presidents' Trophy winner for the league's best record, were just as tough to get shots against on power plays versus the Blues, putting them two wins from the second round.

Winnipeg understands playoff hockey

Jets defenseman Logan Stanley delivered the best hit of the playoffs so far when he laid out Blues forward Jordan Kyrou along the sideboards.