There finally was an Ovi sighting in Toronto on Friday night. The question for the Islanders was whether it would spell trouble, or offer another reason to feel good about the state of their first-round playoff series.
As it turned out, it was the latter, after the Islanders absorbed two scoring blows from Alex Ovechkin but still secured a 5-2 victory over the Capitals in Game 2 and took a 2-0 series lead.
Their biggest concern entering the series centered on dealing with Washington's veteran superstar.
So it was bad enough when the Caps scored the first goal 56 seconds into Game 2, but it was worse that the goal was scored by Ovechkin.
Then he scored again in the second period, briefly tying the game at 2.
It only was a matter of time. Ovechkin had been held without a point through three seeding games and the first game of the first round, and the Islanders knew shutting him out indefinitely was not a realistic option.
And there he was less than a minute in, beating Casey Cizikas to the puck after it took a weird bounce off the Zamboni door. He stormed toward the net and flipped a backhand shot past Semyon Varlamov.
It was a shot that Varlamov should have stopped. But again, you can't stop them all from Ovi, who has 67 career playoff goals.
There was one more thing about that first goal that was a bad omen for the Islanders: It came with the teams at even strength. In Game 1, the Islanders were the better team 5-on-5, outscoring the Caps, 3-0, in that scenario.
The early score seemed to put a charge into the 34-year-old Russian, who seemed more active than in Game 1, and was being given free rein by the Islanders.
On the MSG+ telecast, Islanders analyst Butch Goring said, "They've got to play a much tougher game against him or he's going to terrorize them today."
The Islanders played far better toward the end of the first period than they had early on, but Ovechkin kept up his early pace, at one point slamming Adam Pelech into the boards behind the Islanders goal.
The Islanders were open before the series began about the challenge Ovechkin presents.
Islanders coach Barry Trotz, who used to coach Ovechkin, said earlier this week, "Ovi is special. He's going to go down as maybe the greatest pure goal-scorer of all time ... He's big, he's physical, he's strong as an ox."
Pelech said earlier in the week that limiting Ovechkin, especially on the power play, would be a key to the series.
The Islanders tied the score on a power play at 2:56 of the second period with a blast by Nick Leddy from the left point that caromed in off a post and into the net.
Soon thereafter it suddenly was 2-1 when Matt Martin tipped in a Scott Mayfield centering pass on his backhand for his second goal of the series.
But Ovechkin tied it 1:31 later when he scored on a tip-in in front of the net. Fifteen seconds after that, Brock Nelson scored on a breakaway to make it 3-2.
The Capitals turned on the heat in desperation in the third period but did nothing with their first power-play opportunity of the game when Ryan Pulock was called for tripping early in the period.
Ovechkin later had a chance at an open net on a power play but was unable to get off a clean shot. Cal Clutterbuck's late goal clinched it.
The Islanders, who were the underdog entering the series, now are in an excellent position to advance to the second round for the second year in a row.
Ovechkin remains a threat. But for one night, at least, the Islanders proved he was a threat they could overcome.
