Ovechkin scores first of the playoffs as Washington blows out Florida, takes 2-1 series lead

The Washington Capitals took a 2-1 series lead in commanding fashion on Saturday afternoon as they downed the Florida Panthers by a score of 6-1.

Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau opened the scoring less than three minutes into the first period, but after that it was all Washington. The Capitals scored six unanswered goals from six different players. T.J. Oshie, Marcus Johansson, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Alexander Ovechkin, John Carlson and Garnet Hathaway all lit the lamp for the Capitals in Game 3.

After coming into Game 2 in relief of Vitek Vanecek, the Capitals turned to Ilya Samsonov to make the start and he played excellent, stopping 29 of the 30 shots he faced.

Following the game, Samsonov told reporters that he was nearly brought to tears after hearing the fans chant his name during the third period.

Ilya Samsonov on the crowd chanting his name in third period.

«I was close to cry, you know. Thank you fans.»— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) May 7, 2022

The Capitals will have a chance to take a stranglehold on the series on Monday night. Puck drop for Game 4 is set for 7 p.m. ET and can be viewed on Sportsnet360 in Canada and TBS in the United States.

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