PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 18: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals takes the puck in the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 18, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.The Washington Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 6-1. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

As good as he is, somehow the Philadelphia Flyers appear to struggle keeping track of where Alex Ovechkin is on the ice. In Game 3 of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff matchup, the Flyers picked a horrible time to once again lose track of Ovechkin.

Here is the situation:

The Flyers scored an emotionally-charged goal in the first minute of the game following a pregame ceremony in honor of Ed Snider, the team’s founder and owner who recently passed. The Capitals tied things up a few minutes later on a power play goal.

Fast forward to the second period, roughly midway through the second frame. The Flyers got tangled up in the neutral zone while trying to push into the Washington end of the ice. During the mix-up in the neutral zone, T.J. Oshie knocks the puck away to a spot where Niklas Backstrom was able to get a stick on it to nudge the puck down ice. At first glance it looked as though that may allow the Flyers to regain possession and a chance to regroup, but the puck made its way along the boards right by a linesman, and Ovechkin just so happened to be standing right behind the ref.

Ovechkin sprung out from behind the linesman and let go of a laser beam shot past Flyers goalie Steve Mason:

The goal by Ovechkin gave the Capitals a 2-1 advantage, which would prove to be the game-winner (it was a 6-1 final score) to give the Capitals a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. The Flyers hung around after that game-changing goal but fell off the tracks in a big way in the third period when everything went south in a hurry for the home team.

Whether that sequence was orchestrated on purpose by Ovechkin or if he attempted to catch the Flyers off guard by hiding on the ice is unconfirmed, but it certainly worked better than the time a Philadelphia athlete tried hiding on the field…

rileycooper

[Deadspin]

About Kevin McGuire

Contributor to Athlon Sports and The Comeback. Previously contributed to NBCSports.com. Host of the Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast. FWAA member and Philadelphia-area resident.