Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner has a deeper appreciation for Alex Ovechkin after shutting out the Washington Capitals 1-0, Monday.

A reporter asked Lehner after the game why he was wearing his mask from last season.

It was out of necessity.

💻 Lehner: I mean, it's nice when you get a shutout for sure. It's just nice to start the road trip with a win, a big road trip. It's two big points for us. pic.twitter.com/bVxMdxT5ej

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) January 25, 2022

“Ovechkin broke my helmet so I had to change it,” Lehner said.

The Vezina finalist revealed that it came on a shot at the tail end of a Capitals’ five-on-three power play in the second period.

“It was probably the hardest shot I’ve taken to the head,” Lehner, a 12-year NHL veteran, said. “He broke my cage. A little scary. You felt the cage kind of bent in to the cheekbone a little bit. I’m lucky it wasn’t a little bit harder.”

You can see one of the bars on the left side of Robin Lehner's mask dented from Alex Ovechkin's shot. #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/MRhFyElbCf

— David Schoen 🗞🏒 (@DavidSchoenLVRJ) January 25, 2022

The Capitals’ 30th ranked power play went 0 for 5 with the man advantage on Lehner, but Golden Knights goalie has nothing but praise for their PP unit.

“They have a good power play,” Lehner said. “They move the puck. They have some good shooters. I thought we played well. Our PK was really good today.”

Lehner is just the latest goalie to admit that Ovechkin’s shot just hits different. Future Hall of Fame goaltender Henrik Lundqvist explained why Ovi’s clapper was so special as a TNT analyst earlier in the season.

“It’s heavy,” Lundqvist said. “A lot of times it’s not the most accurate but it’s so hard. And the flex on his stick makes it so hard to read. A lot of times it felt like it was coming at you, towards your body, then it shifted a little bit.

“There are a few guys in the league where they shoot and you go UGH,” Lundqvist continued. “You almost get surprised. He had that shot where you thought you had it and it surprised you every single time.”

Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB

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