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Even Ovechkin was raving about Price in Capitals-Habs thriller

Goalies don’t often receive big ovations heading into overtime after allowing four goals, but Monday’s Capitals - Canadiens gaming wasn’t your typical contest.

That exciting 5-4 overtime win for Washington had a little bit of everything, really.


  • Former Canadiens forward Lars Eller received boos when he touched the puck in OT, yet the two-way center got the last laugh by scoring the game-winner.
  • Max Domi and the Canadiens looked very much up to speed with the defending champions. Montreal ended up firing 44 shots on goal. Pheonix Copley was chased after allowing four goals on 22 shots, giving way to Braden Holtby, who stopped all 22 he saw. (So this game had Holtby swoop in to save the day.)

Domi also roughed up Dmitry Orlov in this quick fight:


  • The best duel, however, was Alex Ovechkin vs. Carey Price.

Early on in the game, Ovechkin had the advantage. Ovechkin’s first goal came even-strength, as he connected thanks to a great Tom Wilson pass. After that, Ovechkin generated the 236th power-play goal of his career, tying him with Mario Lemieux for seventh all-time while leaving him just one behind Brendan Shanahan.

It sure looked like Ovechkin would collect his 22nd career hat trick, but Carey Price said no ... multiple times.

Ovechkin came quite close coming from the opposite circle of his typical “office,” with the other distinction being that it wasn’t a power-play chance:

Impressive stuff, yet that wasn’t the save that drew rave reviews from basically everyone involved.

As you can see from the video above this post’s headline, Price found a way to get a piece of Ovechkin’s bread-and-butter shot, sprawling out for a spectacular save. In fact, it was so spectacular that Ovechkin himself a) clapped for Price and then b) patted him on the chest.

Ovechkin - Price wasn’t the only entertaining element of Washington’s 5-4 OT win against Montreal. There were a ton of scoring chances, close calls, and some physicality.

That said, that duel between star sniper and big-name goalie made for quite the marquee main event.

MORE: Your 2018-19 NHL on NBC TV schedule

James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.