If there was any doubt about what the Washington Capitals were thinking about doing to the Montreal Canadiens in their first-round playoff series, it got erased on the first shift.
Sub-6-foot forward Anthony Beauvillier finished a hard check on Alexandre Carrier. Captain Alex Ovechkin followed that up by crushing the other defenseman, Mike Matheson.
“Everybody was hitting,” Ovechkin said after scoring the overtime winner Monday night.
The start of the NHL playoffs is off to a heavy-hitting start, with nearly 80 per game early in the first round after an average of just over 40 during the regular season. Of the 255 skaters who have dressed, 214 — 84% — have been credited with at least one hit.
“It’s part of playoff hockey: When the stakes get raised, the physical intensity of the games increases significantly,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said Tuesday. “I know they’re exciting for the fans, they rattle the boards and everybody cheers and that, but, over time, if you constantly are being physical on your opponent, it adds up.”