We don’t know whether this will be Alex Ovechkin’s final season as a Washington Capital or not, but there’s never a bad time to reflect back on two decades of being treated to this amazing talent. So each game day throughout the 2025-26 season, we’re going to be picking an Ovechkin moment to remember against that day’s opponent!
Game 5 – Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, 4/9/2009
Down 3-1 in their 2009 playoff series to the Rangers, the Caps were in danger of getting knocked out of the postseason in the first round for the second straight year. To salvage the series and their season, they’d need a big performance at home in Game 5 – and they got it.
As part of that performance, Alex Ovechkin unleashed this play, starting with what was quickly becoming his trademark end-to-end rush followed by dodging not just one but two defenders en route to the net, where he put one past Henrik Lundqvist in the dying seconds of the second period.
Take a look:
Ovechkin’s contribution to that night’s victory may not have been the game-winner, but it was certainly the nail in the coffin for the Rangers in that game which proved to be the turning point in the series. The Caps would storm back to take Game 6 and 7, toppling the Rangers and moving on for a second round date with the Penguins.
…we don’t need to talk about that series right now, though, just bask in the greatness that was this Ovechkin goal.