The Flyers led 4-2 heading into the final period, thanks to two goals apiece by Danny Briere and Vaclav Prospal. But Ovechkin helped set up the first of two goals by defenseman Mike Green that lifted Washington into a tie.
And then Ovechkin, who set a NHL record for goals by a left wing this season with 65, put the finishing touch on the Capitals' first playoff game since 2003.
The 22-year-old Russian known as Alex the Great took the puck away from defenseman Lasse Kukkonen and slid it past goalie Martin Biron. As the red-clad crowd's "M-V-P!" chants rang through the arena, Ovechkin raced over and jumped into the glass to celebrate, then did a high-step along the boards before skating all the way down to the other end to exchange high-fives with his team's goalie, Cristobal Huet.
Game 2 is Sunday at Washington, where the hosts have won seven straight games.
They've also won eight in a row overall, and 12 of 13, a remarkable turnaround that culminated in a Southeast Division title and No. 3 seeding for the playoffs. When Bruce Boudreau took over as coach, replacing the fired Glen Hanlon, Washington was 6-14-1
- worst among the NHL's 30 teams. At the season's midpoint, the Capitals still ranked only 14th of the East's 15 teams.
Washington's 24-point improvement over last season was the league's second best. Philadelphia outdid that with a 39-point jump built on a physical style reminiscent of the Broad Street Bullies who won two Stanley Cups in the 1970s.
So, as expected, Ovechkin received a warm introduction to the playoffs. Kukkonen greeted the Russian with an extra tap here, an extra shove there. Mike Knuble said "Hello" with an extra stick to the ribs. And Ovechkin, whose 446 shots were the second-most in a season in NHL history, did not register one on this night until nearly 13 minutes into the third period.
Prospal, acquired from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, and Briere, an offseason free-agent signing, showed they could mix it up, too. Prospal undercut Huet at one point, taking the goalie's legs out from under him. Briere twice went to the penalty box. The first time, he emerged to score on a breakaway. The second time, Green scored a power-play goal
Washington built a 2-1 lead thanks to two unlikely scoring sources: Donald Brashear and Dave Steckel, a couple of checking-line types who combined for 10 goals all season.
Briere tied it 11:36 into the second period, coming out of the penalty box and flashing past the Capitals backline to take an outlet pass from Knuble and deposit it behind Huet. All of 33 seconds later, the Flyers had their first lead, at 3-2, when Kimmo Timonen passed to Prospal, who wasn't confronted by a defenseman before getting off his shot.
