Super start for Ovechkin

Boxed in and bumped around all game, Alex Ovechkin eventually figured out a way to make his NHL playoff debut a memorable one.

Held without a shot until late in the third period, the league's leading scorer stole the puck and netted the tiebreaking goal with 4½ minutes remaining, leading the Washington Capitals to a 5-4 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series Friday night.

The Flyers led 4-2 heading into the final period, thanks to 2 goals apiece by Danny Briere and Vaclav Prospal. But Ovechkin helped set up the first of 2 goals by defenseman Mike Green that lifted Washington into a tie.

And then Ovechkin, who set an 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.

Rangers 2, Devils 1: The Rangers' Jaromir Jagr and Sean Avery scored 23 seconds apart early in the third period, and Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves in beating host New Jersey yet again in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

The win was the Rangers' ninth in 10 games against New Jersey this season.

Penguins 5, Senators 3: Ryan Malone scored Pittsburgh's third power-play goal with only 1:02 remaining, and host Pittsburgh squandered a 3-goal lead against Ottawa, then rallied for a sweep of their first two home games in the Eastern Conference series.

Wild 3, Avalanche 2 (OT): Keith Carney scored on a slap shot 14 seconds into overtime to lift host Minnesota over Colorado, tying the series 1-1 and giving a huge sigh of relief to more than 19,000 towel-waving fans.