Sneaky Alex Ovechkin Hides behind Linesman before Firing Laser past Steve Mason

Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin is so good, he's inventing new ways to score. Ovechkin, who led the league in goals for the sixth time in his career with his third consecutive 50-goal season, has long been among the most creative goal scorers in the league, even sniping from his knees and back for crying out loud.

So it shouldn't come as a total surprise that Ovechkin would think a little outside the box to help a Capitals team—that appears to need little help in the first round—get up on Philadelphia by hiding behind a linesman before corralling the puck off the boards and ripping home the eventual game-winning goal in Monday's blowout victory over the Flyers.

Ovechkin's goal, which put Washington up 2-1 at the time, was the beginning of the end for the Flyers, as Braden Holtby continued doing Braden Holtby things (not allow goals). Washington scored four more times in the third—Ovechkin (who set the Caps' all-time playoff scoring record in the win) netted his second of the game and added an assist in the period—en route to a 6-1 win in a game that can really be described as ugly. The score was lopsided, Steve Mason allowed six goals, Flyers fans had a meltdown, and this series, which has been nothing short of a total mismatch, is effectively over.

Ovechkin and the Capitals appear determined to exorcise their postseason demons. Not once during the Ovechkin-Capitals era has Washington made it out of the second round, but it's hard to imagine that trend continuing with the way the team has played during the playoffs after notching an NHL-best 120 points in the regular season.

The Capitals have outscored the Flyers 12-2 in three games; Holtby is playing like the Vezina Trophy finalist that he is (0.67 GAA, .978 SV%); and Ovechkin has three goals, while teammates John Carlson and Niklas Backstrom each have six points.

[Sportsnet]