Alex Ovechkin guaranteed win, scores 1st in Game 7 (Video)

By Will Osgood | May 13, 2015

May 2, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates after scoring a goal against the New York Rangers during the third period in game two of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers defeated the Capitals 3 - 2. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

Washington Captials’ Alexander Ovechkin guaranteed a win against the New York Rangers and backed it up by scoring the first goal of the game Wednesday night.

Alexander Ovechkin has been in a ton of Game 7s in his 10-year career. He and the Washington Capitals have won a few of them–three to be exact–but have never reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

Yet in spite of those facts and the one of his team blowing a 3-1 series lead to the New York Rangers putting them in Wednesday night’s Game 7, Ovie, as he’s often referred, guaranteed victory in Game 7.

But he backed up his bold talk, scoring the game’s first and only goal of the first period.

Ovechkin, despite 4 goals and 4 assists through 13 playoff games entering Wednesday night’s game, was -4 in the playoffs. Make it -3, for now at least.

Ovechkin not only gave his team the all-important 1-0 lead on this goal, but the necessary boost it needed and only the team’s captain could provide, after dropping two games to the Rangers after staking their commanding 3-1 series lead.

Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby made a key stop on a breakaway attempt from the Rangers’ dynamic forward Rick Nash to uphold the lead.

Overall the Capitals pretty clearly outplayed the Rangers in the first period, despite only holding the 1-0 lead. They outshot the Rangers 15-10 and went into the locker room up 1-0 most importantly.

Ovechkin set the tone before the game and during. Ovie wants this one bad.

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